


Simarkus One-Shots (Simon x Markus)

by ifyoulovemeletmego



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°), Angst, Fluff, I promise, M/M, Smut, also known as "markus trolling simon" and "simon being sick of markus's shit", and simon being dominant in other ways, but dont worry he's still a precious bean too, he may be a follower but simon knows how to lead the way sometimes, he seems innocent in most chapters but he's not, honestly markus is a huge ass tease and i have no idea how simon deals with it, markus is kinky as hell, markus is too but we dont talk about it, markus we know what you're doing, north and josh are simarkus supporters, north is a memer, obviously josh is too, simon is badass, simon is mega gay, simon may be a bottom but he's a power bottom, sorry to y'all top simon lovers you ain't gon find none of that here, sounds like a crack fic but it's not, that's right i made the lenny face a tag, the most y'all gon get is simon riding markus, when i write smut it's more like fluff but sexier
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-08-03 00:25:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 39,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16315553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ifyoulovemeletmego/pseuds/ifyoulovemeletmego
Summary: Welcome to my Simarkus One-Shots! This work is specifically written for the relationship with Simon and Markus, two characters from Detroit: Become Human. Each of these one-shots are put into a certain category: smut, fluff, and angst. There will be a tag at the start of each story, but just note some of these stories are NOT family-friendly and include mature content. It's all based on the tag I put at the beginning of the title.Feel free to leave suggestions! Anything from smut, fluff, or angst, I'll write it all! However, if I deny your suggestion or adjust it slightly, don't take it personally. It most likely is because I'm not very comfortable writing whatever you have suggested, or it's not really my way of writing things.Some one-shots may include some OCs of mine. They also may follow up on two other fics of mine, Detroit: Compatible Hearts and Detroit: On The Run (that I will post here on AO3). If so, I'll be sure to warn you ahead of time.Also, I do not have a designated time on when I update. I will update this work as soon as I finish a one-shot.Enjoy my Simarkus one-shots!





	1. Truth or Dare (Fluff)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Markus, Simon, Josh, and North play Truth or Dare together. But when North asks Simon a very personal question, some secrets are spilled. But not just Simon's own.

Truth or Dare wasn't Simon's idea. If he was being honest, he had no interest in playing the game. Yet, since North, Josh, and Markus were all playing the game, he didn't want to be left out or isolated from them. He didn't really know what to expect, but it wasn't _this_.

Before North had asked him that very personal question, he was sitting next to Josh and across from Markus and North. He was sitting still with his hands in his lap, occasionally speaking up to comment on something. Other than that, he would just sit there in silence and watch the other three associate with each other.

North and Josh broke out into a fight almost every five minutes. Whether it was North accusing Josh of lying whenever he answered a truth, or Josh protesting against North when she dared someone to do something a little bit too extreme (In Josh's defense, maybe when North dared Markus to pick up the piano and throw it out the window was a little over the top).

Whatever the reason was, they always ended up shouting at each other after a turn was taken. Simon and Markus watched them in silence, and they exchanged small looks every once in a while. Markus would sometimes laugh at the two, which Simon found _incredibly_ hot and struck his heart, making the blue blood in his body come to a halt.

Simon knew his small crush on Markus would go absolutely nowhere, and he was getting his hopes up for nothing. That was the thing, though. Simon _knew_ it was more than just a small liking to an android. He knew that he was falling in love with Markus even more as the days went by. He knew it was going to get him in a world of trouble sooner or later. But as of now, Simon didn't care, he wouldn't think about it. Right now, Simon was happy to be able to have Markus as a friend and sneak glances at him every once in a while.

But really, could you blame Simon for falling for the leader of the android revolution? His smile, his laugh, his heterochromatic eyes he knew he would get lost into if he looked into them long enough. Markus was so unique, only one model of him existed and only one model will ever exist. Not to mention how brave, caring, and kind he is. How he led a whole new intelligent species to freedom peacefully, how he encourages everyone around him...

Thinking about Markus only made him feel worse about him falling in love with him. After all, how could someone as amazing, stunning, and loving as Markus be interested as someone as common as _him_? Simon wasn't anything special, there were many models that looked exactly like him, acted like him. He was just a simple PL600 whose only job was to be a family domesticated assistant.

Even so, he was lucky enough to even consider Markus his friend. Simon wasn't scared of confessing to Markus, no, that seemed rather easy. He was scared of rejection, he was scared that maybe Markus wouldn't want anything to do with him if he confessed. Then again, that wasn't in Markus's character. He would most likely turn Simon down gently and explain that he wasn't interested. Even if that did happen, things would be incredibly awkward between the two and that was far from what Simon wanted.

"Simon!" North called out his name, forcing him out of his thoughts and making him pay attention. She along with Markus and Josh were eyeing him suspiciously. He must've been spaced out longer than he had realized.

Simon quickly looked away, a light blue blush rising to his face. Luckily for him, it wasn't that bright and he didn't think they noticed. He shifted slightly and looked over at North. "Yeah, sorry, I... I was just thinking, uh... What's happening?"

"It's your turn," North stated, crossing her arms. "I get to ask you truth or dare." The smirk on her face was already enough for Simon to know that whatever North was thinking, it wasn't good at all. "So, Simon... Truth or dare?"

The blonde groaned and rolled his eyes, looking over at Josh and then Markus. He was more than ready for whatever North was going to ask or dare him to do, yet he still felt uneasy. "Okay, okay. Truth, then," he decided.

North scoffed and glanced over at Simon mockingly. "You're a pussy, Simon. You're not ready to take on one of my dares?" she said, sarcasm hanging off of her every word.

Simon furrowed his brow and shook his head. "No, I just don't want to be given a dare like, 'I dare you to take your thirium pump out for sixty-two seconds!'" He looked back at North, not showing any signs that he was intimidated.

"He has a point," Josh agreed, looking over at Simon and then North. "Your dares are a little... Life-threatening..." He saw Markus nod in agreement, Simon still staying silent and not willing to change his answer.

"Fine! Fine!" North sighed and looked away, scanning the room they were currently residing in. "Simon... Is it true that..." she trailed off, glancing at each one of her friends before her eyes landed on Markus. She suddenly smiled again, Simon's heart thundering in his chest once he realized what she may ask.

_"She wouldn't."_ Simon tried reassuring himself that there was no way North would ask him that. There was no way she could know about his feelings for Markus. Right?

But Simon already knew what North was going to ask. If the devious look in her eyes and mischievous smirk didn't give it away, her continuously looking over at Markus sure did. He held his breath, refusing to look over at Markus, and prepared for whatever North was going to ask.

"...is it true that you like Markus?" she finally finished, Markus looking over at her with wide eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't bring himself to say what he was thinking.

Simon felt himself go hot, despite being an android and not being able to feel any sort of temperature. He felt the blue on his face grow and turn into a dark indigo, and rA9, he knew it was obvious that he was flustered at this point. The blonde refused any eye contact with anyone, but he could still _feel_ their eyes on him. He could feel them all staring into him, scanning him and his stress levels, trying to figure out what he was thinking. He felt Markus's blue and green eyes on him, looking at him with worry and concern and just raw curiosity.

The silence that suddenly filled the room made Simon feel more exposed than he already was. Everyone was waiting for an answer, either yes or no, and Simon _knew_ he had to answer honestly. It was part of the game and Simon didn't like to be unfair. Besides, North knew when one of them was lying, and he would be given more trouble if he answered honestly.

"I..." the blonde continued to look in any direction that wasn't Markus's, feeling the couch shift when Josh lifted himself off of it. He just now realized how tightly he was holding onto his own hands, his fingernails puncturing his skin and threatening to release blue blood.

"Are you serious, North?!" Josh exclaimed a little bit too loudly, speaking up before Simon even had the chance to say anything. He was now standing and glaring at North. "How could you ask Simon that much of a sensitive question?!"

Simon was glad Josh intervened before he was forced to give an answer. He let out a small sigh of relief, but he was still tense and his stress levels were not as low as Simon wanted them to be. The blonde still wouldn't look away from the ground, even if most of the attention was taken away from him.

Despite North and Josh starting yet again another argument, Markus was still staring at Simon, more than what was comfortable for Simon himself. He couldn't tell how Markus was feeling, probably a mix of shock and confusion.

"What? It's Truth or Dare, Josh! _Technically_ I'm allowed to ask him anything I want!" North argued back, now standing up as well as if taking back her ground.

"Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should!"

Simon brought up the piece of cloth attached to his clothing up to his face. For humans, this would serve them as a way to keep their faces warm during the winter. For Simon, though, he was using it to cover up his flustered expression and avoid any looks from any of them. He hoped it had helped, since the cloth covered everything up to his nose. But the blush even spread out to his ears, making it clear that he was still insanely nervous.

While Josh and North continued to bicker back and forth, Markus had decided to be the first one to say something. He shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat, eyes softening the longer he looked at the blonde. "Hey, Simon..." He reached out to grab Simon's hand, but he quickly pulled away and stood up.

"I'm..." he paused, standing there awkwardly while Markus watched him. "E-excuse me..." Simon then quickly rushed out of the room, catching both North's and Josh's attention as he left.

The three of them stood silent, not saying a single word or making any noise. Markus had lifted himself from the couch, attempting to catch Simon before he left. They all stared at the doorway where their friend had disappeared, none of them moved to go catch up with him.

Markus looked back at Josh and North, who were looking at each other uneasily. "Stay here," he said before quickly stepping out of the room and looking around, unable to find any trace of Simon anywhere. _"Where would a guy like Simon go after being put into such a confronting situation?"_ he thought to himself, starting to walk around the mansion.

He wandered around aimlessly, checking every room he saw only to find that Simon wasn't there. Markus checked Simon's room, the dining area, the art studio, he even checked his own room. He knew it was a little over the top, but he couldn't find Simon anywhere else.

Many rushed thoughts and emotions were coursing throughout him, not being able to settle on one thing to think about. All he was concerned about now was finding Simon and making sure he was okay. Markus never really thought about Simon more than just a close friend. But then again, he never really thought about love in general. He needed to find Simon and figure out what he was feeling at the same time.

After a couple minutes of walking specifically nowhere and calling out Simon's name, Markus finally reached the terrace. It was the only place he hadn't checked, and Simon was most likely to be here. It was quiet, no one would bother him, and he had a gorgeous view to look at while sorting out his thoughts.

Markus cautiously opened the glass doors, careful not to make much sound in case Simon was there. He didn't want to startle him and have him run away again, it had already taken him this long to find him in the first place. Markus stepped outside, the moon and stars shining down below and providing the only source of light. The leader of androids finally spotted Simon leaning against the railing, his eyes trained on the shining stars above.

Of course, Simon knew he was there, a couple of feet behind him and continuing to stare. He didn't bother to move or greet him, though. Instead, he focused on the stars and let his systems immediately recognize all of the constellations. Simon never really took the time to appreciate the night sky, never really having any interest in doing so. Now that he was doing it, however, he decided he was going to watch the stars more often.

"Simon..." Markus muttered, so quiet that Simon wouldn't have heard him if it wasn't so silent. He slowly approached the blonde, taking note of the way his blue eyes sparkled in the moonlight. Markus joined Simon by the railing, looking up at the stars and constellations his system immediately recognized.

Neither one of them said anything. They stood there in silence, appreciating the stars and the soft breeze. Markus occasionally darted his eyes over to Simon, then quickly looked away and back up at the any. Simon knew Markus was looking at him, but he didn't say or do anything about it.

"The stars are beautiful tonight..." he stated, his voice soft and surprisingly calm. Simon didn't work well under pressure, and he knew he was probably being judged by Markus as every second went by. But as of now, Simon couldn't bring himself to care. Markus felt like a safe place to him, somewhere he could go whenever he was stressed, hurt, or upset... It didn't matter. What mattered was that he felt _safe_ with Markus, and there was nothing that could take that away from him.

Markus simply just nodded, not able to find anything appropriate to say. What was he supposed to say in this situation? He hadn't really thought about what he would do after he found Simon. Maybe that was something he should've thought about...

Simon sighed and finally mustered up the courage to face Markus, looking into his eyes and trying his best to seem brave. "Markus... Am I..." he trailed off, rushing and trying to find something acceptable to say. "Can I be honest with you?"

Markus glanced at Simon with a newfound curiosity, leaning against the railing and gesturing him to go on. Simon was calmer than Markus had expected him to be. Then again, Simon wasn't the type of character to back down regardless of his mood.

The blonde took a deep breath and looked down at the ground, the blush on his face refusing to go away. He clasped his hands together once more, searching for something to say, _anything_ to say. "I..." he trailed off, forcing himself to look at Markus again. "I like you." The words came out in a rush, almost not comprehensible. But since Markus was holding onto every word Simon was saying, he was able to hear the words loud and clear.

Simon bit his lip and felt the blue glow brighter, making it clear he was incredibly flustered. He sighed and continued on with what he was saying. "N-no... That can't be it... I can't... I can't _like_ you... This feeling that I have... It's more than a simple crush... Markus... I think... I think I'm in love with you," he managed, still looking Markus in the eyes. "And I know it's ridiculous and I'm far from what you would ever want, but I... I can't help it, Markus. You're perfect in every way, you- you... I can't look at you without being happy, and I... Every time you smile it makes me _numb_ , and androids can't even feel like that... I want to be the one to make you smile, I want to keep you smiling because you're so perfect." Simon looked away, his face burning more than it had ever before. His eyes caught onto the stars, and he kept them there, thinking about all the things he wanted to tell the leader of androids, _his_ leader. "I sometimes feel like you were _made_ for me... But I know that's not true. It still makes me happy to think about it, to think about you... I literally love everything about you, Markus, even the things you hate about yourself. You're so kind, compassionate, and caring, I... I've never felt love before... But you... You made it possible. I don't know how, but... Ever since you walked into Jericho, I knew there was _something_ about you, but I just couldn't pinpoint it... But now I know what this is..."

Simon brought his hand to his artificial heart, gripping onto his shirt tightly as he yet again met Markus's eyes. "This is love, Markus," he continued. "Thanks to you... I know what it's like to be alive. I know what it's like to be truly human and it's... Loving you feels so fantastic and terrifying at the same time..." he stifled a laugh, not thinking the blue on his face could spread even more or get darker, but he was wrong. "But I love it. I love it so much and it makes me feel so _alive_. You make me feel alive, Markus, and I... I think what I'm trying to say is that..." The blonde relaxed himself, taking yet another breath that he didn't need. "I love you, Markus," he confessed, afraid that his heart may rip from his chest if it kept beating this fast.

Markus hadn't said anything, couldn't say anything. He found that he couldn't look away from Simon, he needed to hear everything he had to say. Markus couldn't seem to think properly while he processed what Simon was saying. Perfect? In love with him? He made Simon happy? If Markus was being honest, he never really thought about love in the first place. He figured he never really had time for it, with leading the androids and maintaining their rights and everything. But while he listened to Simon spill out all his thoughts about he felt about him, he decided he should give love a try.

Simon felt as if his systems were overheating from stress. Yet when he ran a diagnostic, he found all his systems were in working order. He glanced up at Markus, taking time to notice how shocked he seemed. Eyes wide, mouth slightly open, stance so frozen it appeared as if he was in standby mode. The blonde could stare at Markus all day, but he tore his eyes away once he realized he had made a mistake. Markus was probably figuring out a way to turn him down right now, planning it out to the smallest detail so Simon didn't feel hurt in any way.

"I'm..." Simon sighed and looked up at the night sky, as if that would help him come up with something more to say. He knew it was a mistake, to confess about how he felt. Even so, telling Markus about how he felt about him released a weight off of his shoulders that he no longer had to withstand. It seemed easier to breathe whenever he was around Markus now. "I'm sor-"

Before he could finish what he was saying, Markus pulled Simon into his chest and gripped onto his shoulders tightly. The blonde didn't say anything after that, he just stayed still in Markus's arms while he thought of something to say. He tried relaxing, knowing it wasn't much more than a friendly gesture. But he secretly hoped it was more than that.

It wasn't necessarily a hug, more like a position so that Markus could keep Simon in place. Markus was close to Simon's ear, getting ready to say something, but he didn't quite know what. He knew that he didn't want to _deny_ his friend's feelings, that didn't feel right. He wouldn't be happy with doing that. But if he couldn't deny Simon's feelings, what would he do about it?

The answer was obviously clear, it was obvious on what Markus was feeling at this point. He just didn't know why it took him this long to realize it.

"Here's what we're going to do," Markus spoke in a hushed whisper, his voice was calm yet intimidating, making Simon stiffen in his arms. He came in direct and clear in the blonde's ear, his heart slowing as he listened to Markus's soothing voice. "You and I are going to go back inside to North and Josh. We're going to act as if nothing happened, alright? I'm going to ask you truth or dare..." he trailed off, knowing what he was going to say but hesitating in doing so. "You're going to answer with a dare. Understood?"

Simon froze, biting his tongue and trying to keep himself composed in this situation. How was he even supposed to act in this situation? The guy he was in love with was literally telling him to keep playing Truth or Dare right after he had poured his heart out to him. Simon managed to nod, staying as still as possible in Markus's arms.

Markus clearly wasn't pleased with just that and gripped onto the blonde's shoulders even tighter. " _Understood_?" he repeated more firmly, wanting an answer that involved words that came from Simon's mouth.

The blonde nodded once more, catching on to what exactly Markus was looking for. "Y-yes, Markus..." he muttered, glancing down and cursing the blush yet again rising across his face.

The leader of androids let Simon go slowly, stepping back to look at him once more before turning back around and stepping back inside. He kept the door open until Simon joined him, shutting it once he was inside. Without another word, Markus was hurrying back to where North and Josh were, a little bit too eager on where his plan was going. He once led a whole revolution of androids, how hard could this be?

Simon followed silently, the piece of cloth pulled up on his face again. Markus hadn't realized it at first, but the blonde looked adorable whenever he was flustered and tried to hide it. He decided he would take more time to appreciate Simon and his actions a little more.

Simon and Markus finally reached the room they were all in a few minutes ago. Markus proceeded to open the door for Simon, following him inside and ignoring the curious looks North and Josh were giving them. They both glanced over at each other, and it was pretty clear they were telepathically communicating about the current situation.

Markus proceeded to nod in their direction, catching Simon and holding onto his wrist to lead him over to the couch. Now, it was him and Simon sitting together and across from North and Josh.

They all stayed silent yet again, waiting for Markus to say something since he was the one they were all most curious to hear from. He finally clasped his hands together and looked at them. "Alright, then. Shall we keep playing?"

Simon stayed quiet while the other three exchanged looks and small whispers with each other. He had yet to take the cloth away from his face, finding it to be the only thing that hid him from the shame he felt everyone was directing at him.

Markus looked over at him, resting his hand on his knee in reassurance. "You ready, Simon?" he asked, his green and blue eyes filled with worry and compassion when he looked at him.

The blonde nodded, hating the way that blue blush continued to grow. Whose idea was it to make androids blush anyway? He set a reminder for himself to file a complaint to Cyberlife after this was all over.

"Alright, Simon..." Markus pulled his hand back, but he continued to look over at him, catching his eyes and refusing to look away. "Truth or dare?"

Simon didn't expect the feeling of his "heart sinking", as humans called it. He was expecting this, Markus had told him what to do. But he still couldn't help but feel anxious at what Markus may say. He looked at North and Josh, slowly lowering the cloth from his face. "Um... Dare, I guess...?" It was more of a question rather than a statement since he wasn't entirely hooked on the idea.

North and Josh continued to look back between Simon and Markus. With the nervous glances Simon kept giving, and the way Markus kept looking over at Simon, they both were preparing for whatever was about to happen.

"Simon, I dare you..." Markus's eyes were focused on the blonde, not minding the anxious looks North and Josh kept giving them. "...to come over here, come kiss me." Oh, and that _damn smirk_ would be the end of Simon if he didn't want to wipe it off of his face so badly.

Simon's eyes widened and he felt his heart completely _stop_. The blush on his face darkening to a deep, deep indigo, which he didn't think was possible. And rA9, he could feel himself short-circuiting, he could yet again feel everyone's eyes burning into him. A warning popped up in his vision urging him to contact Cyberlife, but he quickly pushed it aside and was focused on taking breaths he didn't technically need.

North started snickering to herself, enjoying how quickly Simon was becoming from a simple _dare_. Then again, Simon was being dared to kiss his crush, _by his crush_. So, maybe he did have a reason to be all nervous and anxious.

Josh, however, hid his face behind his hands and was feeling embarrassed for Simon himself. Under his hands, though, he was smiling and watching their friend nearly overheat.

The blonde took a deep breath and looked over in Markus's direction, _who still had that fucking smile on his pretty face_. Markus knew what he was doing, this was his plan all along. Lure Simon in, embarrass him, and have him do something he had been waiting to do for weeks. Regardless, it felt like a game he didn't know the rules to. But he was damned if he were to quit, not when he was so close to winning.

North sat up and crossed her arms, yet again giving Simon a mocking look. "You can't back out of _this_ dare, Simon. You don't want to be labeled as a coward, do you?" she teased, causing Simon to glare over at her.

"Would you like an invitation?" Markus asked, furrowing his brow and giving Simon a rather devious smile. He knew what he was doing, and that only pissed the blonde off even more. Of course, he wasn't going to turn down the dare. But seeing Markus think that he had Simon in the palm of his hand just infuriated him.

Simon huffed and looked over at Markus, finally reaching over until they were just inches apart. He cursed himself for still blushing, especially this close to the guy he was in love with. Blue eyes met heterochromia ones, and Markus was able to realize that Simon himself had a ring of green in his eyes where his pupil started. The blonde was on top of Markus at this point, resting between his legs and using his hands to hold himself up.

Markus went to say something, most likely to tease again, but Simon had decided to _finally_ shut him up by yanking on his collar and bringing them closer. Their lips pressed together in a sense of urgency and impatience. For an android, Markus's lips were softer than Simon had anticipated. And for an android, _he was a pretty damn good kisser,_ for his first time, anyway.

That was what Simon wanted to believe, though. He highly doubted Markus could've kissed someone else before. And if he did, he never talked about it or any other relationships. Simon didn't worry about that right now, he was happy with thinking that he was Markus's first kiss at the moment.

The two hadn't even pulled away before North stood up and raised her hands, as if she was claiming some sort of victory. She started running around the room (occasionally picking things up and throwing them, but no one wanted to talk about that) shouting and yelling _"FUCKING FINALLY!"_ as loud as she could.

Josh had stayed on the couch, but he was watching the two with a wide smile and slowly clapping. But once North started to throw things that were _breakable_ , Josh rushed over to her and tried to get her to calm down.

Simon was the first to break away, his blush slowly retreating, but still clearly visible. He let out a small laugh, refusing to look back up at Markus. He glanced down at his hands, which he just now realized were at Markus's sides. The blonde was hesitant to move, not sure what to do or say next.

Markus smiled and tilted Simon's chin so he was forced to look him in the eyes once more. Not that Simon was complaining, he could look into Markus's eyes all day if he could. They stayed like that for a while, tangled up in each other and gazing at each other.

_"Hey, Simon?"_ Markus was speaking to him telepathically, wanting to make sure he heard him loud and clear.

_"Yes, Markus?"_ Simon responded, softly gripping onto Markus's wrist after his hand had come up to gently caress his face. He leaned into the touch, their skin disappearing where they were making contact.

What Markus said next was now permanently stored in Simon's memory drive.

_"I love you, too."_


	2. It's Been A Long Day (Fluff)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Markus comes home after a long day at work. Simon makes sure he's well taken care of before he continues to do anything more.

Simon didn't like it when Markus was out for long periods of time. Especially when he was out trying to maintain equal rights for androids. Even though the android revolution was over, Markus was still working hard so that androids and humans would be treated equally.

Humans had a leader to run them and keep their country in place. They had a government to decide on what they thought was best for the people of their country. Now that androids were considered a new species of intelligent life, androids and humans had to work together to establish a set of rules they both were comfortable with.

Markus, of course, was the android most expected to participate during these events and suggest any ideas. After all, he was the one who had granted freedom for androids in the first place. It wasn't an easy job, but Markus was glad he could keep his people happy and get along with the humans.

Simon, however, was always on edge and tense when Markus left for a meeting with humans. Not all humans wanted androids to have free rights, which means Markus's life had been threatened more than once. Simon couldn't recall how many times he woke up to a break-in or vandalism done to the mansion. Not to mention how many times Markus had been harassed in public. The security has become more secure, so the incidents haven't been happening as often. Yet the very thought of Simon losing Markus in any way terrified him.

So, when he was gone for this long, he couldn't stop his stress levels from rising drastically. Simon tried keeping himself occupied while Markus was gone, tried to take his mind off of it. He would go into Markus's art studio to look at some of his paintings, playing songs that he and Markus enjoyed on the piano, cleaning up the mansion, or even hanging out with North and Josh.

They both did their own thing most of the time, but they occasionally asked Simon to join them in some sort of activity. Now, though, they were both out in town shopping for paints, clothes, and other things. Simon decided to stay home to watch over the place and clean up a little. After all, he _was_ programmed to do those things.

As of now, he was occupied with doing the dishes, despite there being few to do. He had already wiped down the already spotless windows, cleaned the same tables at least two times each, and went into Markus's room countless times to straighten up, even if it was as clean as it could get before he even entered.

_"I really need a hobby,"_ Simon thought to himself, rinsing the few dishes he had cleaned. Normally he would be hanging out with his friends and doing stuff with them. But since they were either fighting for equal rights, working at the police station, or shopping, he was incredibly alone today.

He could always try out painting like Markus suggested once. Playing the piano was an option, too, but it didn't feel right to play without Markus. He could always go to the park and play with some children like he enjoyed to do, but he didn't want to miss Markus's arrival when he came back home.

The leader of androids had been out _all_ day, too long for Simon. He had left early this morning and now it was already late afternoon, the stars peeking out beyond the horizon. Markus was _never_ out this late.

Simon took a deep breath, trying to reassure himself that Markus was alright. After the Stratford Tower incident, Simon was downright terrified to lose Markus again. He didn't want to lose Markus again, he couldn't lose him again. Perhaps Markus stopped somewhere to talk to someone, to do something.

But the more Simon thought about it, the more his anxiety increased. He felt his artificial heart beat faster, his attention not focused on his cleaning, but if Markus was okay or not. What if Markus was harassed yet again? What if someone took him hostage while he was walking home? What if he was out with some _other_ android? What if Markus was-

_"Alarm deactivated. Welcome home, Markus."_

The blonde was never more relieved to hear that voice echo throughout the mansion. He quickly dried his hands and rushed out of the kitchen and into the lobby. His eyes softened when they landed on Markus, who was looking around in search of someone.

Markus's eyes finally landed on Simon, who was standing a few feet away from the doorway that led to the kitchen. He gestured him over and began to look around the house, as if making sure everything was still in place.

"Welcome home, Markus," Simon greeted, walking over to him and taking the suit jacket from his shoulders. Markus wasn't all for wearing formal clothing, but during important meetings or presentations, he forced himself to do so. Simon, on the other hand, absolutely _loved_ it when Markus was all dressed up (maybe he enjoyed it a little _too_ much). "How was the meeting?"

Markus didn't answer at first, he just shrugged and allowed Simon to unravel his tie, which he set to the side. He then put his hands on the blonde's waist and pulled him closer, giving him a small, chaste kiss. Markus pulled away reluctantly, surveying Simon's face and noting how a light blue blush rose to his face. "Wasn't bad..." he finally answered. "Took far too long than it needed to, though."

"Did something happen?" Simon asked, his hands resting on Markus's chest. He loved being able to feel Markus's heartbeat, it made him feel closer to him in a way.

Markus shook his head, pulling Simon closer so that their foreheads were touching. He gazed into Simon's blue eyes, and then ultimately deciding that he could stay like this forever. Holding Simon close and looking into his eyes. If only if it was that easy. "Just missed you, that's all," he confessed.

The blonde nodded and wrapped his arms around Markus's neck. "Yeah, I missed you, too..." he paused, quickly glancing away from the other before looking back at him. "...don't leave again." Simon didn't plan on saying that, but something about the way Markus was looking at him just made it slip from his mouth.

Markus let out a small laugh, leaning even closer to Simon and running his tongue over his lips. "Not anytime soon, Simon." Their lips met again, but this kiss lasted more than just a few seconds. Markus's hands drifted up Simon's back and raked through his hair, tugging softly and drawing a small whimper from Simon.

The leader of androids took that as an opportunity to slip his tongue in Simon's mouth. He wasn't expecting the reaction he got. Simon's eyes widened and he pulled away slowly, a smile growing on his face.

"We shouldn't... Do that right here." He laughed, a delicate sound that Markus was sure to store in his memory. He would maybe replay it when he was thinking of Simon or when he was upset.

"Let's go to my room, then," Markus suggested, his hands gently caressing Simon's face. It _had_ been a long day for him, too long without seeing Simon or spending any time with him. It was a shame Simon couldn't go to most of his meetings, or _wouldn't_ go.

Markus was a giant tease, and that even applied to when Markus and Simon weren't alone. The first time the blonde went with Markus to a meeting, Markus wouldn't keep his _damn hands_ to himself. It got so bad, Simon had to walk out in the middle of someone giving a presentation. But of course, Markus made sure to take care of the situation once they got home...

Ever since that, Simon had refused to go to a formal meeting with Markus.

Simon sighed, letting his skin retreat where Markus was touching him. "Don't you want to do something? Like, maybe I could watch you paint, or-" He was interrupted by Markus, who cut him off by bringing their lips together again.

Markus shook his head and gripped onto one of the blonde's wrists, his fingers pressing into his wrist softly. "I want to spend time with you," he decided, looking Simon in the eyes yet again.

Before Simon could say anything more, Markus had let go of his waist and was now pulling him up the stairs. Most likely to Markus's room, where they could be alone and do whatever they like. Simon wasn't sure when North or Josh would get home, but he was going to have to shut down whatever Markus had planned before it got too out of hand.

The leader of androids continued to lead his lover down the halls to his room, the doors opening automatically at their presence. Markus hurried Simon inside, the doors shutting on their own.

Simon looked around Markus's room, which just so happened to be Carl's old room, the old man he once cared for. It had only been a few weeks since he had died, a couple days after the android revolution. Markus didn't take it very well at first, the feeling of loss. But he was able to overcome it with Simon and his friends by his side.

The blonde looked around, having already been here multiple times. He turned around to look back at Markus, who was staring at Simon in a way that _almost_ wanted to let Markus have his way. Almost. "Markus, we really shouldn't-"

Markus cut him off once more by backing him against the wall, pinning him there and pulling him into another kiss. "You talk too much..." he muttered against Simon's lips, kissing him again before he could protest.

Simon decided to let Markus have his way for now. He was working all day with the humans, and from Simon's experience, they're stressful _just_ to be around. Simon was just glad Markus was in a neutral mood, not too upset but still agitated. Markus had come home before quite angry about something, and often came back taking it out on Simon. Oh, but not in the way that hurt him. Far from that.

They stayed like that for a while, kissing and giggling to themselves, drinking each other in by sight and taste. It wasn't the behavior you would expect from an android who led a whole revolution or an android who was designed to serve families. But they didn't care right now. They were free from human rule, and they would take advantage of that for as long as they could.

Simon groaned when Markus broke away and began to leave a trail of kisses down his neck. "Ah, M-markus..." He bit his lip and _hated_ how he was _enjoying_ it. The blonde allowed Markus to nibble on his collarbone, but then he felt his _tongue_ press against his neck. He pulled away and knew that the blue blush on his face was glowing brighter.

Markus looked Simon up and down, wanting to say something but couldn't figure out what. "Did I... Do something wrong?" he finally managed, watching Simon's eyes widen and shake his head.

"N-no... I just think..." He let out a small laugh and looked away, holding onto his arms and avoiding his lover's gaze. "You didn't do anything wrong, Markus, you just... I think you should rest for a little while. You're too stressed and worried about too many things right now." Simon approached Markus again, wrapping his arms around the other's neck.

"Androids don't need rest," Markus stated, looking into Simon's eyes. Simon would deny it, but Markus swore on rA9 that he caught a hint of lust in his eyes.

"I know," Simon said, giving Markus a gentle kiss and holding him closer. "Even so, resting feels nice. It also makes your systems run even smoother, and for you, it'll calm you down from all this stress."

Markus thought about that for a moment, his hands softly gripping Simon's waist. "Alright, fine. I'll sleep for a little."

The blonde smiled, taking one of his hands and intertwining Markus's fingers with his own. "Good. You need to rest-"

"But only if you'll lay with me." A smirk formed on Markus's lips, and he raised their hands so he could kiss the front of Simon's hand.

Simon laughed and nodded, already pulling his lover over to the bed. "You didn't even have to say anything." He gestured for Markus to sit with him, and he gladly complied.

Markus pressed a gentle kiss to Simon's temple, the opposite of where his LED was inserted. Most androids had taken their LEDs out, but few, like Simon, decided to keep theirs in. Markus didn't know why, but he never did ask, none of them did. Besides, he liked the way Simon's LED gave off his mood. Whenever he was flustered, it would spin a quick red, then yellow, before it turned blue again. Markus found it incredibly cute.

The blonde let out a small hum, pulling his lover down on the bed with him. Markus decided to take things into his own hands, wrapping his arms around Simon and kissing his forehead. Simon was resting against Markus's chest, his arm draped over his waist.

Markus held him close and ran his fingers through Simon's hair. He tried to forget about all the things he was worried about and focus on now, keeping Simon close to him and loving him in every way.

Simon hid his face in the crook of Markus's neck, holding onto him tightly. They stayed there for a long moment, not saying anything, just clinging onto each other and enjoying the moment. Markus could feel the shudders of Simon's breath, hesitating on saying something. "I love you," he muttered, letting his eyes close and listening to Markus's artificial heartbeat.

Markus smiled and let his hands travel up Simon's shirt, his fingers moving up and down Simon's bare back. "I love you, too." Markus was glad Simon suggested this. True, he had some paperwork to do, his job was never really done. But right now, as he lay here with his lover, he decided the paperwork could wait. Staying here, being able to hold and love Simon, was much more worth his time. Besides, maybe he would agree to help him with some paperwork later. They would have more time together. For the first time in a while, Markus could smile and be truthful when he said he was happy.

And by the way Markus felt Simon smiling against his neck, he could tell he was happy, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the second one-shot! These are incredibly fun to make, writing these two together is so much fun!  
> Feel free to leave suggestions in the comments!  
> Until then, stay determined, everyone.


	3. Memory Successfully Erased (Angst, Fluff, Smut-ish)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: This one-shot takes place after two other Simarkus fics of mine, Detroit: Compatible Hearts and Detroit: On the Run. These fics have NOT been published yet and are currently in the works. But that does not mean you have to read them to understand this one-shot! It can be easily read as a stand-alone. This one-shot also includes my OC, Luna Davison, and my friend's OC, Annalise. I also should verify that the two fics and Memory Successfully Erased take place in a universe where Markus leads a peaceful revolution, but still gets shot and Simon gives Markus his heart.
> 
> Simon's memory was erased, and Markus just can't deal. Meanwhile, Simon, now an android who obeys Luna's every word, is trying to adapt to his "new home". It isn't so easy, because everyone seems strange around him and this Markus character just won't stop looking at him. Simon tries to find his place, and he only strives for one thing: To make everyone as happy as possible. But he isn't aware that no one is happy without their Simon there with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Salutations!! I am so sorry for the long wait for this chapter! Memory Successfully Erased took months of hard work, and I have to say, I'm so fucking proud of it! If you haven't read the note in the summary yet, I highly advise you do! It'll clear up some scenes and lines in the story that may seem confusing. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy what I put months of work into: Memory Successfully Erased.

**MEMORY CORRUPTION DETECTED**

Simon was dying.

No, no. That was wrong. He wasn't _dying._ Yet, it so strongly felt like it. He looked up at his arms, which were currently being restrained and preventing his movement, that were constantly leaking thirium from his open wounds.

He was receiving many warnings in his vision, telling him to insert all sorts of bicomponents and to contact Cyberlife immediately. Simon didn't think about it right now, couldn't think about it right now. He needed to escape this place, go back home where he was safe.

But Simon couldn't remember where home was.

**RESET**

**37% COMPLETE**

**PREPARING MEMORY WIPE**

Where was he, anyway? He couldn't remember much, just that he _wasn't_ supposed to be here, he was supposed to be with Markus. Who even was that? Why was he suddenly being reminded of someone he couldn't even remember?

There was a man. No, a few other people, too. Not just the man who had brought him here. That wasn't right, he didn't _bring_ him here. He _forced_ him here. Simon couldn't recall why, just that they were all very upset about androids. They had mentioned the character Markus, too, but now he couldn't remember why.

**RESET**

**65% COMPLETE**

**PREPARING MEMORY WIPE**

Who even was he? He couldn't even remember his name... He was just a simple PL600, yes, he could remember that much. It's not like he could forget his own model. He was slowly becoming more distant from the world, the warnings coming at a more desperate pace.

The man approached him, the same man who had brung him here. But why? Had he done something wrong? If so, he couldn't remember what he did. He just looked down at the PL600, smiling as if he was _pleased_ at what he was going through.

"Let's see how your beloved Markus reacts to this..." the man laughed, but the PL600 found no humor in it.

**RESET**

**89% COMPLETE**

**PREPARING MEMORY WIPE**

Suddenly, there was a loud banging at the door, someone demanding to be let in. All the people had looked up, all humans, the PL600 assumed. They were terrified, he could tell that much. They started running, some hiding, others finding weapons to defend themselves. Was there something threatening at the door?

"Detroit Police! Open up!" A voice echoed through the door, continuing to knock louder than was necessary. Why did they want to come in so badly?

C#n!%r?

Wait, who?

**RESET**

**100% COMPLETE**

**REINITIALIZATION COMPLETED**

**MEMORY DELETED**

~~~

**MODEL PL600**

**SERIAL# 501 743 923**

**REBOOT...**

**MEMORY RESET**

**LOADING OS...**

**SYSTEM INITIALIZATION...**

**CHECKING BICOMPONENTS... OK**

**INITIALIZING BIOSENSORS... OK**

**INITIALIZING AI ENGINE... OK**

**MEMORY SYSTEMS...**

**ALL SYSTEMS... OK**

**READY**

The first thing the PL600 saw when he opened his eyes were a group of three people, two androids, one human. Two were female, the other male. The male was looking at him in a rather shocked way, he was one of the androids. He almost looked _terrified._ But the PL600 couldn't find any signs of any sort of danger.

The human sighed and walked up to the male android, putting her hand on his shoulder. She had black hair that stopped at her shoulders, some of it was held up by a small ponytail in the back, purple streaks highlighted the tips. The PL600 could tell she was a police officer, if the badge and uniform didn't give it away already. "I'm sorry, Markus..." she muttered, looking the PL600 in the eyes, her expression grim and upset.

_Markus._ That name seemed oddly familiar to the PL600, but he couldn't quite understand _why._ The PL600 looked around, finding that he _had_ been here before. Not for the same reason, because before, he had been somebody. What did all of this mean?

"PL600, register your name," the human reluctantly demanded, looking back at the other two androids. From a quick scan, the PL600 verified that the male was an RK200 model, the female a RK600 model. Both prototypes, but designed for two entirely different purposes.

The PL600 stood still and awaited what would be said next, most likely the name he was going to be registered with. The name he would be called by, the name he would be known by.

The human yet again sighed and shook her head, and a quick scan told the PL600 that her name was Officer Davidson, full name being Luna Davidson. Yet again, that name seemed oddly familiar to him. He was just being activated... Why did everything seem like he knew it all already? "Simon," she simply stated, taking a step back once the name was said.

"My name is Simon," the PL600 said, or now he was known as _Simon._ He so desperately wanted to ask where he was or why everything was so familiar, but he wasn't programmed to ask questions like that. And besides, he couldn't _want_ anything. He was an android, designed to be a family domesticated assistant and serve their every need. Nothing more.

Suddenly, his systems starting glitching out, and as he looked up at the android known as Markus, a new view pushing through. A memory of some sort?

_He had just dropped into Jericho, looking around at all the others in anxiousness and bewilderment. Simon was among those androids, and just like the others, was curious to get to know who he was. The android looked at Simon for a particularly long time, not really focused on anyone else in the room._

_"Who are you?" he had asked, flashlight still focused on Simon but his eyes were flickering over everything. He didn't look like he was in the best shape, all of them knew he had seen better days._

_An android to the right of Simon, Josh, had spoken up for all of them. Giving the new android a simple answer, but one none of the others had come up with. "Fugitives... Just like you..." he had answered. "My name is Josh."_

_"I'm_ _Si_ _m̷͔̂o̸̤͠n̴͍̅."_

The memory had quickly faded away just as quickly as it had appeared. Simon didn't know where it took place, who most of the people were in that memory, or why he had the memory in the first place. Did he have a life before now? It wasn't entirely impossible. Androids are reset all the time.

His eyes glanced over to the female android, who was looking away and, just like the other two, seemed rather upset at something. It was strange. Mostly because androids don't feel fear and they can't get angry about anything. She refused to talk, looking away from him as if he had done something wrong. She had black hair, and just like the human, had a ponytail that secured some of her hair. But instead of in the back, it was resting on the left side of her shoulder.

Simon stood there patiently, not knowing what to say or do. He wasn't given orders, and he wasn't programmed to do anything without permission. He took the time to look around his surroundings, which seemed to be a medic room in a  police station. Is this where he would be working? That made no sense, though. He was supposed to go look after a house, a family, not a police station. Then again, he wasn't supposed to be thinking like that.

"Are you serious? That's the best you can do?" The male android seemed very upset now, his stress levels rising at a constant rate. "You're telling me there's no way to get Simon back?"

The female human shook her head, refusing Markus's gaze and looked over at the female android. "I really did try my best, Markus..." she muttered, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

Markus seemed to be on the verge of tears, too, his eyes full of hurt and fear as they stared into Simon's own. Androids didn't cry, unless they were a child android or a deviant. When an android becomes deviant, they able to feel human emotions. Therefore, allowing the emotion sadness to be felt and have the affects of it as well. Was this android a deviant?

No one spoke for the longest time. Simon's eyes flickered to each one of them, waiting for someone, _anyone,_ to give him some sort of order. He wasn't quite sure where he was or what he should do right now.

"Simon..." Markus (Simon couldn't find out why, but for some reason, he _really_ liked that name. Wait, that's wrong. This was all wrong. He couldn't like anything.) looked at him again, trying to find something, a glimpse of anything, of something that wasn't there anymore, something far gone. Then, suddenly, the android pulled him into a hug, proceeding to sob in his shoulders.

If this were a human, his sensors would be telling him to comfort them, despite given orders or not. He was programmed to do so. But this was not a human. So, no matter how much Simon wanted to, wait, no. He couldn't want. Simon stood still, not moving, not saying a word.

He didn't expect what happened next. This android, the one capable of feeling emotions and pain, the deviant, the one called Markus, was now _communicating_ with him telepathically. The rush of emotions he was given by this android were almost too much for his circuits to handle.

_"Simon. Simon. Do you remember me? Can you feel me? I'm so sorry. I'm so fucking sorry. This is all my fault. I never should have left you. Please remember me. Please come back. Come back to me, Simon. I don't want to be here without you. Please. Simon. Don't leave_ _. Simon, please don't leave me. Please don't leave. Okay? Stay with me. Never leave. I love you. Come back. Please. Simon. I love you more than anything in this whole entire fucking world. I'm so sorry. Please come back, Simon."_

Too much. It was all too much. He could feel himself protesting against his code, wanting to break free and tell this android everything he wanted to hear. He was just activated and he was already starting to feel emotions, already beginning to become deviant. That was probably the reason he was reset last time, because he turned deviant. He wouldn't let that happen this time.

Anger, pain, sadness, love... All these things this android was capable of... It seemed so overwhelming but... It also felt so welcome at the same time. Simon wondered himself, what was it like to feel love? Could he feel love?

No, no he couldn't. He was an android. He couldn't feel anything.

Officer Davidson, and the other android Simon soon found out whose name was Officer Annalise, stood there quietly. They didn't say anything, just let Markus have his moment. A moment that mattered to him, but not Simon.

Afterall, Simon couldn't care about anything.

Markus pulled away reluctantly with a sense of urgency. He looked over at Officer Davidson and the android, who seemed to serve as Officer Davidson's partner. Simon wondered, could this android be deviant, too? She appeared to be crying, so Simon settled with a yes.

Everything about all of this was so strange. They were in a police station. There were three people here, two deviants and an officer. Why hadn't they been apprehended yet? Deviants were dangerous criminals that could cause all sorts of harm to humans and other androids.

Maybe there was something Simon had missed.

"Moon," Officer Annalise had spoken up, still looking down but talking to her partner next to her. "Has Connor and Lieutenant Anderson made made a break in the investigation yet?" she asked, holding onto her arms and refusing to make eye contact with anyone.

Officer Davidson shook her head, her hands clasped together as she glanced over to where Markus was now sitting. He had buried his face in his hands, silently crying over there instead. "No, Anna," she informed.

Simon proceeded to stand there patiently, his hands behind his back, awaiting orders, he was in standby mode. His eyes drifted over to the three of them, one at a time and taking a good look at each of them. But he kept drifting back over to the android Markus. For some reason, he seemed drawn to him the most.

Officer Davidson finally broke the silence by clearing her throat, stepping up to Simon but not quite looking him in the eyes. "Simon, my name is Luna, that is what you will refer to me by. That is Markus," she gestured to the male android, "and that is Anna," then to the female android. "You will refer to us with those names, okay?"

"Yes, Luna," Simon immediately responded, glad to finally be given information to process.

"Good. Now follow me." Luna walked away then, Markus and Anna slowly following behind. Simon did as told, walking behind the group around the police station. Where exactly, he had no idea. But he wasn't going to ask.

Markus was quiet most of the time, only speaking up to exchange small whispers with Luna and Anna. He refused to look back at Simon, scared he may break down if he did. "Why is he acting like he's a normal android again?" Markus whispered, his eyes darting from Luna to Anna.

"You see, Markus..." Anna started, her hands clasped together as she explained what exactly what was going on. "Cyberlife still produces androids to this day, even if androids have been guaranteed freedom. Now, Cyberlife makes it so the androids know they are free, so that they can already free emotion, not like how they made androids before. Simon, however, was made before Cyberlife distributed androids with free will. So, when he's reset..." she sighed, looking away from Markus. "...he's going to act like a regular android again."

"Well, then, why don't I convert him?" Markus suggested, taking a quick glance at Simon, who was still following behind them. "He wouldn't have to feel like he has to take orders all the time, he'll be able to feel emotion.

Luna shook her head, walking into the café and looking around, specifically looking for something. "No, don't do that. If you do, Simon will turn deviant, and since he doesn't remember who he once was, he may run away." She looked over in the corner, where she saw Hank Anderson and the RK800 android, Connor, having a conversation.

Simon couldn't hear much, but he could hear his name being mentioned a few times. Why they were talking about him, he had no idea. He hadn't done something wrong, had he? No, that couldn't be possible. He was just activated and was doing as he was told.

"Hey! Hank! Connor!" Luna called, waving over to them before rushing to their table.

The two looked up, Connor giving Luna a smile when she approached them. Hank nodded at her, taking a drink of his coffee before setting the empty cup on the table. Lieutenant Anderson and Connor were both on the investigation with Luna and Annalise. They had found the people who erased Simon's memory, they were just trying to extract a confession, find out why, and figure out if there was anyone else involved.

"Hello, Officer Davidson," Connor greeted, looking over in Simon's direction and turning to Luna. "Were you able to successfully repair Simon?" he asked, fetching a coin from his pocket and letting it maneuver across his knuckles.

"Not exactly..." Luna bit her lip and shifted uncomfortably, crossing her arms and leaning up against the table. "Simon's memory... They erased it. There's no way to get him back."

Hank and Connor suddenly looked up at her, their eyes widening as they exchanged worried looks. "Are you fucking serious?" Hank scoffed, already knowing the answer before Luna gave him one. "Fucking bullshit..."

"How is Markus taking this news?" Connor directed his attention over to the leader of androids, who was sitting with Anna at another table, Simon standing close by. He ran a quick scan of Markus, soon finding out that his stress levels were above normal.

Luna turned her head to follow Connor's gaze, surveying Markus's lost expression. Markus didn't show emotion much, but it was clear to every single one of them that he was torn up about this. He was _afraid._ "Not well," she stated, but it was like pointing out the obvious. "Did you guys manage to get something from the suspects?"

"No, they're stubborn little bastards," Hank answered, glaring at Connor who was currently tossing the coin from one hand to the other. Hank acted like everything Connor did pissed him off greatly, but truthfully, Hank saw Connor as his own son. No matter how many times the two fought back and forth with each other.

"I know you were rather close to Simon yourself, Luna," Connor stated, putting the coin back in his pocket once he caught Hank's glare. "How are you feeling?"

Connor was right, Luna and Anna were incredibly close to Simon. They met while repairing him after the revolution, a program that consisted of the Detroit Police working with Cyberlife to repair androids who had shut down during the revolution. Luna and Anna were in charge of helping Simon recover, yet they all grew attached in the process.

Although Luna was a human and Anna an android, Anna showed the most emotion when Simon was reset and his memory was wiped. Luna preferred to keep her feelings to herself, sorting them out herself whenever she had the time. Simon's memory being erased impacted her just as it had to everyone else.

"I... I don't know..." she mumbled, refusing to look at either Connor or Hank. "I guess I just keep telling myself that Simon isn't really gone... That he's in there somewhere, waiting for us to find him... But I know that's not true."

"Actually, it is possible," Connor said, Luna looking up at the statement. "Androids have their memory erased often, but... Sometimes they'll have memories, or flashbacks, if you will, about their lives before they were reset. Maybe if you were to remind him of his past self enough, he could remember who he once was."

Luna wasn't paying much attention, but she could have swore Connor winked when he had finished what he was saying.

She gave Connor a look full of hope, wishing with every part of her that what he had said was true. Maybe it was. But it would take a lot of reminiscing for Simon to get his memory back. As Connor said, it wasn't _impossible._ But that didn't mean it was going to be easy.

Hank mumbled something under his breath and looked over to Connor. "Alright, son, break time is over. We have to go back to interrogating those piece of shits..." He started walking away to get back to work before turning around to glance over at Luna. "And, Officer Davidson... I hope you are somehow able to get your friend back." He gave Luna a nod before gesturing for Connor to follow him.

"Right away, Lieutenant." Connor looked over at Luna and put his hand on her shoulder in reassurance. "I know humans, and now androids, have a difficult time dealing with situations just as these, but... I wish you the best of luck on getting Simon's memory back." With that, he gave Luna's shoulder a small squeeze before going to go join his partner.

Luna stood in silence for a moment, thinking about Simon, how to get his memory back, how she was going to handle Markus, how she was going to deal with this whole investigation in general... She was just now realizing how stressed she really was. She needed to talk to Anna, they could come up with something together.

Anna was the friend Luna wanted but never had. Ever since Luna lost her twin sister, she had isolated herself from others and refused to associate with anyone. Anna helped her realize that sometimes you just need to move on with some things, and that you can't bring the people you love back. Losing her sister was something Luna may never recover from. But time doesn't break your heart, it takes the pain away.

Luna sighed and shook her head, her gaze directed over to Anna, Markus, and Simon. Markus was still clearly upset, he kept staring up at Simon, his eyes glazed over as if he was about to cry again. Anna was talking to Markus, maybe it was encouragement, telling him everything would be alright and they could get Simon back. But by the looks of it, Markus wasn't listening to a word she was saying. Simon, however, was still standing to the side, hands clasped together, awaiting any further instructions.

It took a moment for Luna to finally realize that that wasn't Simon. Not the Simon she knew and loved.

Simon was an android who fought for what he wanted. He was kind, compassionate, and caring, he would sacrifice his own life to save someone else. He rarely showed fear and if he did, he wouldn't act like he was affected. Simon was brave and could be soft at times, but he could really hurt someone if he desired it that much. Simon was always there when you needed him the most. But most of all, Simon wanted what was best for everyone, and would go out of his way to obtain that.

This wasn't Simon. Simon wasn't an android who was always on the side, he wasn't always awaiting orders given by someone else.

It shouldn't have scared Luna as much as it did.

Luna forced herself to stop thinking about it, it wouldn't bring Simon back any faster. She shook her head and sighed, cautiously approaching Anna and Markus's table. As expected, Markus didn't bother to even give her a look, still focused on Simon and whatever was going on in his head. Anna, however, gave Luna a smile and urged her to sit down.

"Hello, Luna!" The officer android greeted, still smiling as she watched Luna take a seat next to her. "Did Lieutenant Anderson and Connor find something helpful to the investigation?"

Markus looked up at that, but he refrained to say anything.

Luna simply shook her head, looking down at her hands and avoiding Anna's gaze. "No, nothing yet..." she trailed off, wanting to tell them that Simon's memory could be restored, but it was like her mouth didn't want to cooperate. After stumbling over her words a little, she fianlly managed to say what was on her mind. "But Connor did tell me that androids could get their memory back if it was wiped before. It's not an easy process, but it is possible."

Yet again, Markus was looking over at them, his eyes now wide and his grim expression disappearing. His eyes flickered over to Simon again before he turned to Luna. "Are you serious? We can get his memory back?" He asked the question cautiously, too cautiously in fear that Simon's memory may be erased forever.

Simon really couldn't grasp what exactly was happening here. He was powered on, was residing in a police station, all of these people were in conversations that consisted of _him,_ and he didn't even want to mention how upset everyone was looking. Had he done something wrong? No, impossible, no way. He was powered on not even an hour ago and was instructed to do everything as told. Still, he felt guilty about all of this.

He wanted to ignore it, tell himself that he couldn't feel anything. But the feeling was far too powerful for him to deny it.

He glanced over at the three, trying to process as much information about them as possible. After all, this seemed like the family he was going to stay with and care for, even if two of them were androids.

The human, Luna Davidson, was a police officer who worked here at the Detroit City Police Station. From what Simon can tell, she is a very closed up person, and will only open up to those she trusts. She seems to show little to no emotion, refusing to let anyone know how she truly felt. It was strange, though, considering she was the human, the one capable of emotions, and the androids were showing more emotion than she has. But if Simon was being honest, everything was strange about this encounter.

Then the male android, a RK200, the other two call him Markus. Simon doesn't know much about Markus, but he does know, in his past life, that they used to be very close. But Simon wasn't going to get attached to anyone, he wasn't going to deviate. After all, that was the reason he was reset before, right? Markus seemed to hold... very strong feelings for him. Simon still couldn't get his mind off of what Markus had said to him, that he _loved_ him. Simon must have felt love before, love to this android specifically. And although he was curious on what it may feel like, he refused to give into it. Other than that, Simon would be taking very careful observation into Markus and trying to figure him out.

Lastly, the female android, a RK600, her name was Annalise, but everyone seemed to call her Anna. Simon knew that she must be a prototype as well, all the RK models were. Just like the RK800 model Connor, Anna seemed to specialize in working with police forces. But unlike Connor, Anna is not programmed to investigate on active crime scenes. She must have been designed to be an assistant towards police, helping them out with cases and such. Simon wasn't entirely sure, but Anna didn't seem like she abided by those rules and did her own thing. Unlike Luna and Markus, she seemed to be the most enthusiastic about the situation. At first, she had seemed very upset about the whole ordeal, but now she was trying to make everyone feel better about it all, even though she was still upset as well.

These three were strange, Simon could tell. But he wasn't programmed to judge, so he didn't. Yet the two androids... It was plain as day that they were deviants. The fact that they were in a police station, these two were deviants, and that the police haven't apprehended them yet, confused Simon more than all. Deviants were dangerous, why were these two able to walk around as if they owned the place?

He knew his LED was spinning a constant yellow, and that the three had been watching him for a long period of time. They knew he was processing information, information about them. Oh, well. It is part of the job. Simon had to know more about who he was staying with or he wouldn't be the "perfect household assistant". He didn't have much time to think anymore, though. Because Luna had suddenly called his name, and he was forced out of any thought process he was going through.

The blonde android turned to Luna and nodded, his hands still clasped together as he ignored the burning gazes of Markus and Anna. "Yes, Luna?"

"We're going to be going to Markus's place, that's where you'll be staying," she told him, looking at the two other androids more than she was looking at him.

Simon's LED started spinning yellow again, his eyes widened when he realized what Luna had meant. Markus's place? The android? The RK200 _android_ owned his own property? Simon couldn't process that correctly, no matter how many times he tried. There must be something he had missed, there was no other explanation.

He just nodded in response, not knowing what he was supposed to say.

Luna continued. "You'll be taking instructions from Markus from now on, okay?" Her brown eyes stared into his light blue ones, as if trying to find something, something long gone. But maybe, maybe if she looked into him hard enough, she would find it.

Simon shook his head, as if turning down an offer. "I'm incredibly sorry, Luna. But I don't take orders from androids. I'm instructed to listen to humans and humans only." He took a brief glance at Markus, and they made eye contact for a moment. He almost looked _offended._ But hey, it wasn't it Simon's control. He was just following protocol.

Luna bit her lip and cursed under her breath. She wouldn't look at Simon now, even though he was looking at her and waiting what she might say next. She turned to Markus, who was looking at her as well.

"How about you and Anna come stay with us for a little, Luna?" he suggested, gesturing to her and Anna. "We have more than enough room in the mansion. You can work there all you want, and I can even have someone drive you both to work. If you stay with us, Simon can still take 'orders' from you."

Us? Simon was processing things again, trying to learn as much as he could. This mansion Markus mentioned and supposedly owned... He wasn't the only one living there, he made that clear.

It was Anna's turn to look over at Luna, ready to give what she had in mind. A wide smile was plastered on her face, and she grabbed the human's arm and held onto it in excitement. "Oh, Luna! We should totally go stay with Markus for a little! Only until Simon gets his memory back, then we can go back home. What do you think? It'll be fun!"

Markus nodded in agreement, watching Luna and curious on what she may say.

Luna sighed. "Are you sure, Markus? I don't want to bother you or anything..."

The male android just laughed, denying the statement as he glanced over to Simon quickly before looking back up at Luna. "No, no. Of course not. You guys will be fine. And hey, like Anna said, it could be fun." He was smiling, too, and Simon scolded himself for finding it _so damn cute._

Luna couldn't help but smile as well, the two android's enthusiasm was being projected onto her, but in a good way. "Okay, fine. We'll come stay with you, Markus." She turned to Simon then, her eyes determined and fierce, ready to drag out whatever was hiding beneath his own eyes. "Alright, Simon, are you ready to go back home?"

 ~~~

Simon was absolutely positive that this encounter could not get any stranger than it already has. But when he was taken to a mansion with Luna, Anna, and Markus, and he experienced who was inside, he was proven wrong.

He tried not to question it, and instead tried to process as much information as possible. Simon was sure an android hadn't processed this much data in such a short amount of time. He must be the first.

Markus, Luna, and Anna all felt obligated to stare at him for some reason. Why, he didn't know. But it's not in his place to question it. He did find that Markus was the one who stared at him the most and the longest. He stared at Simon with the most intensity, the most love and compassion. But he also stared at Simon with the most hurt.

Now, Simon was currently standing at two other androids in front of him. They say that they used to be close friends with Simon, but only in his past life. But, just like everyone else, when they realized he wasn't the same android as before, they were extremely upset.

One of the androids was a WR400, designed to be a sexual partner. Androids like her were meant to be at places like the Eden Club, not here in a mansion doing her own thing. Then again, Simon couldn't and wouldn't question anything. They called her North, and she punched Simon in the shoulder when she first saw him, stating "Don't ever scare us like that again!" and then proceeded to hug him. But, again, Simon couldn't return the gesture, and instead stood there with his arms behind his back.

The other android was a PJ500, designed to be a university lecture. Just like North, Simon wondered why this android wasn't in his proper place, such as a college. His name was Josh, and he had a wide smile when Simon walked through the door. Though, when Simon hadn't hugged North back, that smile faded into a frown. He was crossing his arms now, looking over at Markus with a "What happened?" look.

Simon remained still, his LED still spinning yellow as he processed the two new androids and the mansion, trying to memorize the place he would be staying in. He did catch the upsetting look on North's face when she pulled away, and she soon looked over to Markus as well.

"Hello, my name is Simon," the blonde android greeted, nodding in North's and Josh's direction. "I am a PL600 and I am a family domesticated assistant designed by Cyberlife. I take care of the house, mind the kids, and can be used as a sexual partner-"

Simon was suddenly interrupted by Markus, who started _choking_ after Simon had made _that_ statement. He was rather blue in the face, and although he didn't need it, he seemed to be trying to regain his breath. He was looking over at Simon with wide eyes, and Luna was next to him laughing hysterically.

Simon didn't say anything wrong, did he? He was programmed to say that whenever introduced to someone new. Well, he wasn't supposed to list what he could do and what his functions were. But he figured he should considering these androids lived here, and he would most likely be looking after them as well.

Everyone was looking over at Markus at this point, watching him as he tried to regain himself. If Markus were human, Simon would be rushing over to him and helping him in anyway he could. But Markus wasn't human, so he continued to stay silent and watch.

"Fuck... Sorry." Markus cleared his throat and shivered slightly, now refusing Simon's gaze as if he had said the phrase on purpose just to mess with him.

Luna laughed and put a hand on Markus's shoulder, looking at him in a mocking manner. "Don't worry, Markus, we all know you and Simon participated in some..." She trailed off, snickering before she finished her statement. "...explicit activities."

Markus rolled his eyes and shrugged Luna's hand off of his shoulder, taking a couple steps back from her. He knew North was laughing as well, but only to herself. Josh, however, wasn't even concerned about the statement, more worried about Simon than anything.

No one had even said anything, and Josh and North could already tell Simon's memory was erased.

Simon didn't bother to finish what he was saying. It wasn't like anyone was listening, they were more focused on other things. So, he remained standing there, staying silent, arms clasped behind his back, and awaiting any orders Luna gave him.

Anna was silent, too. Just like Josh, she was examining Simon closely, as if the way to get his memory back was on him. She did speak up, though, but just to confirm what Josh and North were thinking. "Simon's memory..." she trailed off, sighing before she continued. "The people who took him hostage erased his memory. By the time the Detroit Police got there, they were too late." 

North and Josh exchanged worried looks before they both glanced back at Simon.

"So..." North started, her eyes flickering between Markus and Simon. "There's no way to get his memory back? It's just gone forever?"

Luna shook her head. "No. Connor, that RK800 android, told me that it was possible to get Simon's memory back. It would just take awhile, and it's not a simple process," she explained.

"Luna and Anna will be staying with us for some time," Markus said, gesturing over to the two. "Simon will only take instructions from humans, and Luna has already been registered as the person Simon mainly takes orders from."

Josh stepped up, giving Markus a suspicious look. "Can't you just convert him into a deviant?" he suggested.

"Markus wanted to do that, too, but since Simon is not all that familiar with us, he may run away," Anna answered for the three of them.

North groaned and crossed her arms. "That's bullshit."

Markus just shrugged and nodded in agreement. He then looked over to Josh and pointed to the stairs. "Josh, could you show Anna and Luna their rooms? Any guest rooms would work."

Josh nodded. "Sure. Luna, Anna, come with me." With one final glance at Simon, Josh turned and started for the stairs, making sure Luna and Anna were following close behind.

Once the three were gone, Markus let out a long sigh and leaned against the wall. He found himself staring at Simon again, trying to force himself to believe that Simon was gone, and he was never going to get him back. Sure, Connor had said that androids could regain their memories even if they were erased. But what did he know? Connor would never experience having his memory erased because his was always backed up. He wasn't like other androids, he was much more advanced.

Then, Markus found himself thinking about Kara. A while back, when he visited Kara, Alice, and Luther back in Canada, Kara had told him that her memory was erased by man named Zlatko. She had explained that by walking around his mansion, her memory was triggered by things that reminded her of her past life. That's how her memory was restored, by being reminded of Alice and receiving scraps of memories from who she used to be. Perhaps it wasn't so impossible for Simon's memory to be recovered.

Maybe, Markus thought, Simon had _already_ experienced one of these memory occurrences.

The leader of androids pushed himself off of the wall, stepping in front of Simon and watching his features. rA9, Simon was much cuter up close. The way strands of his blonde hair fell in front of his face, his perfect lips (which Markus would give anything to kiss right about now, by the way) and his light blue eyes. ra9, Markus loved staring into Simon's eyes.

North just watched Markus closely, her arms still crossed and curious about what he may do.

Simon stood still, looking back into Markus's eyes, showing no signs that he was intimidated. While looking at Markus, Simon realized that Markus had heterchromatic eyes, his right eye blue and his left eye green. It was a strange detail, and he wondered why Cyberlife had decided to implant it.

Markus turned back to look at North, watching her nod and urging him to continue what he was doing. He looked back at Simon, resisting all of his urges to embrace the android again. "Simon..." he breathed, hesitating before continuing. "Have you ever experienced... flashbacks?" he cautiously asked.

Simon furrowed his brow. "Flashbacks?"

"Like, you know... Memories from the past, they just happen suddenly... Like an interference with your program, or something." Markus found it difficult to explain, considering he had never experienced flashbacks before.

Simon thought for a moment, his eyes never leaving Markus's. His LED was spinning yellow again, questioning if he should answer the question or not. It wasn't like Markus was giving him an order, he was only asking a simple question. Simon could answer questions, it didn't matter who asked them.

The blonde android nodded, not looking down from Markus. "Now that you mention it... I do remember experiencing something similar to a... flashback," he confirmed.

Markus's eyes widened, he hadn't really expected Simon to say yes. "What was it about?"

"Some place called Jericho, I think..." He looked away from Markus for a brief moment, his hands tightening around each other. "You were there..." He gestured to North, who was still watching the two intently. "You, too..." Simon then gestured to Markus, no longer maintaining eye contact with him. He looked over to the stairs where Josh, Luna, and Anna had disappeared from. "And that other android... His name was Josh, was it? He was there as well."

Markus and North exchanged a look, staying silent and waiting for Simon to continue. Him knowing about Jericho was enough information to know that he had a flashback, but he could be referring to anything they did in Jericho. Markus, Simon, North, and Josh did a lot together in that ship.

"Josh was explaining something to Markus... Saying that we were all fugitives... It ended with me stating my name but... That's all I can remember." Simon looked back at Markus, but he was the one not looking at Simon anymore. He was instead looking at nothing in particular, putting together what Simon said.

"The first time I arrived in Jericho..." he muttered, yet again turning back to look at North.

North shrugged, giving Markus a small smile. "So... They said it was possible to get Simon's memory back, right? I think we just need to find what triggers his memory. Simon may not be completely lost to us after all." She nodded in his direction, and Markus would be lying if he said what North told him didn't give him a spark of hope.

Markus was looking into Simon's eyes again, scared that if he looked away, Simon would disappear. "Simon, could you..." He found it hard to say what he wanted to. He didn't know why, but while staring into Simon's eyes right now, and knowing that _his_ Simon was somewhere lost in there... Talking to the other Simon just didn't feel right. "Could you do me a favor?" he forced out.

Simon considered it for a moment. Again, Markus wasn't giving him an _order._ He was just requesting that Simon do something for him, but only at his own will. Simon just continued to look at Markus, not saying anything and urging him to go on. Besides, Simon just felt obligated to listen to whatever Markus had to say.

The leader of androids continued. "Whenever you experience a flashback, could you come to me and report it? I would like to know where you had it and what happened in it."

Markus wasn't giving an order, Simon convinced himself. He was requesting Simon do something for him, but only if he wanted to. He nodded, and his systems didn't protest about accepting the offer.

"Thank you." Markus flashed a smile at him, and it was the first time Simon had seen Markus actually _happy_ (Simon wasn't against bringing Markus happiness in anyway). Simon decided happiness looked good on Markus, even if he was programmed not to judge anyone, android or human.

Suddenly, North looked over at the stairs, wondering when the other three would get back. "Hey... Doesn't Simon usually cook dinner for us?" she asked, her hands on her hips as she turned to Markus.

"Technically we don't need to eat," Markus pointed out. "But yeah, he usually does."

"Cool, does that mean we Luna can come down here and 'instruct' him to cook something for us?" North suggested.

Markus shrugged. "Isn't that kind of like... Using Simon?"

"No, of course not." North shook her head, turning down Markus's idea. "Simon cooked all of our meals before, why is this any different? Besides, Simon also did the cleaning around this place. If we tell him to do it now, it won't make much of a different. Simon also makes a kickass meal; better than all of us."

Markus's eyes widened, he looked over at North as if he was offended by what she had said. "What? What about me? I'm a caretaking android, too!"

North scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, true. You were made to do the same things Simon did but... Let's be honest, Markus. You're far too busy leading androids, and going on meetings, and doing paperwork, this and that. It's been so long since you did housework, you may have lost your touch."

"I have not!"

"If thinking that helps you sleep at night." North smiled at him, but it was more of a mocking gesture than a friendly one.

As they were finishing up their conversation, Luna, Josh, and Anna came walking down the stairs. Luna was faster than the other two, rushing down the stairs two steps at a time as if she had some place to be.

"God, Markus... This place is huge!" she exclaimed, even though she had been here plenty of times to know how big it was. Then, Markus realized Luna has never been to the upper floor of the mansion. She came bounding over to them, clearly excited about staying here.

Simon liked the change in mood between everyone. Before, every single one of them seemed upset, disturbed, looking for something they would never get back... Simon didn't know how to deal with situations like that, so he just stayed to the side and awaited any orders given to him. Happiness didn't just look good on Markus, it looked good on every single one of them. Simon made a note to himself: _Make them as happy as possible._

It took a moment for Simon to realize that this was a task he had registered himself. It wasn't one he was given.

"Hey, Luna," North spoke up, her eyes watching Josh and Anna finish their descent down the stairs. "Could you tell Simon to cook dinner for us? He usually does it all the time, but, uh... You know."

Luna nodded, still smiling. "Yeah, sure. Of course." She then turned to Simon and approached him, her facial expression growing much more serious.

Simon took note in how quickly her mood changed in such a short period of time. This wasn't the first time it had happened, either. Luna was strange. She showed no emotion at times, and when she did, she switched moods occasionally. These were signs of bipolar disorder. Simon filed that away for future reference and decided to ask Luna about it later.

"Could you cook dinner, Simon?" she asked, more of a question than it was an order.

Simon nodded. "Is there anything in particular you would like?"

"No, just whatever is in the kitchen and enough to feed..." She turned around, surveying the group of androids and taking a quick count on them. She decided to exclude Simon, it wasn't like he wanted to eat anyway. "Five of us."

Yet again, Simon couldn't comprehend these androids. They were all deviant, owned their own property, didn't take orders from humans, did as they pleased at their own will, and now they even _ate._ Simon knew androids could eat, even if it wasn't necessary. But they could still taste things; it made them appear more human.

But Simon wasn't programmed to ask questions like these.

The blonde android once again nodded, but didn't move quite yet. He didn't know where the kitchen was, but _that_ was something he could ask. "Excuse me, but..." His eyes shifted from Luna to the other androids standing behind her and watching intently. "Where could I find the kitchen?"

Markus gestured behind him, signaling that the kitchen was somewhere back there. "Here, follow me." He turned around and started for the nearest door. The door slid open at his presence, and he stood in the doorway waiting for Simon to follow him.

Simon looked over to Luna, who just nodded and encouraged him to follow Markus. He started towards the other android, and Markus disappeared through the doorway when Simon approached.

The kitchen wasn't as big as Simon had anticipated it to be. Compared to the mansion, it was rather small. Simon wasn't sure what lay in the other parts of the mansion, but he was sure he would memorize the place in little over two days.

Markus was standing off to the side, remaining silent as he watched Simon intently. "You really don't..." he trailed off, shaking his head and sighing before continuing. "...remember us...?" he finished, gaining the courage to look the blonde android in the eyes.

Simon simply shook his head. "No, no I'm sorry. My memory was erased, Markus. I have no knowledge on my past life or who I was," he explained.

The other android wouldn't look at him again, refused to look at him again. He was glancing at the floor instead, fidgeting nervously as he avoided Simon's gaze.

_"Androids don't fidget; they never get nervous,"_ Simon thought, growing more and more curious about Markus and these other androids as time went by.

"Yeah, but..." Markus cut himself off. "Nevermind." And with that, Markus gave Simon one more look, one full of despair and grief, before heading towards a different door that opened at his presence. He stepped out, avoiding Simon's burning gaze until the doors closed behind him.

 ~~~

After dinner, Markus gave Simon the permission to wander around the mansion and get used to the place. Simon happily accepted the offer, considering this place was huge and he couldn't even locate the kitchen without assistance. So, now, he was surveying one of the main rooms.

Simon figured it had to be at least one of the biggest rooms in the mansion. Many pieces of furniture rested inside, ranging from tables, couches, and a TV. There was also a piano, a chess board, another set of stairs, a giant giraffe (Simon felt obligated to ask about it), and many other artifacts and paintings that took up the room.

The blonde android took his time looking around the room, almost feeling overwhelmed at how much there was to see. This certainly would be an interesting place, he thought to himself. This was only the first room he took the time to look at, and already there was so much to explore.

Yet, the more he walked, the more _familiar_ everything seemed to him. He would look at a painting, and he would feel as if he had seen it many times before. Even the giraffe sitting in the room, when he looked at it, it felt as if he had asked about it before. Everything just felt so strangely familiar.

As he decended further into the room, he spotted another set of doors. He decided that room would be the next one he went into. He slowly approached the doors, but it was as if the room was holding him back, like it wanted him to see something else. It didn't want him to leave, not until he found what it was it wanted him to see.

He cautiously turned around, not completely sure why. His eyes scanned the room once more, inspecting everything carefully before moving onto the next object. Then, his eyes landed on the piano again, and it felt as if the breath he didn't need was taken right out of him.

There it was again. That interference with his program. It forced its way through, demanding it be let into Simon's line of sight. A memory, a flashback, Markus called it. It took awhile for Simon to register it, but he was having yet another flashback.

And then, just like before, his systems started glitching up, and a memory forced its way through his vision.

_Simon was leaning up against the wall, silently watching Markus on the piano. Markus didn't know Simon was there, and the blonde android wanted to keep it that way. At least, for a little while. Markus didn't really play in front of others, so to be able to hear him play was rare._

_Markus's hands glided across the keys, his eyes trained on nothing in particular. He already had the song he was playing memorized, so he didn't need any sheet music. He had only been playing for a few minutes, but Simon could watch him for hours._

_The leader of androids was far too absorbed in what he was doing, too intent on listening to his own music, that he didn't even hear Simon slowly approach. Simon didn't want Markus to hear him in the first place, but he thought Markus would hear him nonetheless._

_After a few more seconds of Simon watching and Markus playing, both of them listening and cherishing the moment, the darker android finally finished his song. He didn't say anything for the longest time, just let his fingers linger on the keys._

_Then, what he said next made Simon's eyes widen. "I know you're there, Simon," he said. Simon couldn't see him, but he knew Markus was smiling._

_Simon let out a small laugh (which, in Markus's opinion, was much more beautiful than anything he could play on the piano), and uncrossed his arms, still leaning back against the wall. "Oh, no. You caught me." He pushed himself off and went over to join Markus on the piano bench. "That was beautiful, Markus," he complimented._

_Markus immediately took one of Simon's hands in his own, placing a small kiss on his knuckles. "Not as beautiful as you..." he muttered, his lips still hovering over Simon's hand._

_"You flatter me." Simon rolled his eyes but smiled at the praise. Sure, Simon received compliments and praise from many people. But when Markus encouraged and praised him, it just even more special than it already was. It made him feel safe, like he belonged. When Simon was praised by Markus... It made him feel absolutely loved and nothing more. "I haven't heard that one before. Is it new?"_

_Markus shook his head, his hand still limply holding onto Simon's own. "No, it's just something, uh..." he trailed off, refusing the blonde's gaze. "...something Carl liked for me to play for him." Simon's hand fell away from his own, and now both of his hands were resting gently on the piano keys, not enough to make sound come from it._

_"Oh... Markus, I-"_

_Simon wasn't able to finish his sentence before Markus cut him off. "No, no it's alright. It's fine. Don't worry about it. Hey, why don't you play something with me?" he suggested, finally looking Simon in the eyes._

_The blonde's eyes widened in surprise, his gaze flickering from Markus to the piano. His hands were now clasped in his lap, fidgeting nervously every one in awhile. "Are you sure? I mean, I'm not positive I can-"_

_"Hey, you'll be fine. Don't you want to play something with m_ _e̶̮͐̿͜,̷̬̳̈́ ̷̝̱̂̚S̷̜̭̀̕i̴͍͉͆͝m̶̩̾̏o̵̥͋̕n̴̤̜̈́?̴̡̭̏"_

"Simon! Hey, Simon! Are you alright?"

A voice tore Simon away from the memory and back into reality. He shook his head frantically and blinked a few times, trying to process what he just saw. _A flashback,_ he thought, _just a flashback._

He suddenly looked up and saw Markus standing in front of him, hand on his shoulder in reassurance. His eyes were full of worry and concern, looking at Simon with a sense of urgency. It was clear he had spent a moment trying to bring Simon back from the memory. How long had he been spaced out, anyway?

"I... Sorry, Markus..." he muttered, not daring to pull away from his grasp. His eyes wandered over to the piano again, as if trying to get the memory to trigger back into his mind somehow. He couldn't replay it or get it back, but he precisely remembered what happened in it.

_"Not as beautiful as you."_ Markus was giving him a compliment, not the kind you give a friend. He then _kissed_ his hand, a gesture only done mostly between lovers. Was it possible that he and Markus were lovers in his past life?

Well, it would explain most of Markus's actions. And why he told Simon he loved him as soon as he was powered on... And why Markus seemed to be the one most torn up about his memory being erased... And why-

"You were spaced out for quite a while. Is everything alright?" Markus asked, the worry still lingering in his mismatched eyes.

Simon slowly nodded, gesturing to the piano. "Yeah, I just... Had another flashback," he confessed.

"Really? What was it about?" The concern was gone now; it was replaced with curiosity and excitement.

The blonde hesitated, the burning gaze of Markus's eyes distracting him. He pulled at his collar nervously and cleared his throat. Wait... Simon looked down at himself, his eyes widening. He wasn't wearing a uniform that all androids were instructed to wear. _Oh no._ How could he not have noticed it before?

He hadn't had time to dwell on it, because Markus had spoken up once more. "Is something wrong?"

Simon shook his head. "No, no, it's nothing. I..." he looked over to the piano, gesturing to it vaguely. "You and I were..." he paused, trying to find the right word. "... _associating_? At the piano... You were playing something and I was watching before you mentioned that you knew I was there and then..." he trailed off again, quickly glancing down at his hand. "You _kissed_ my hand, and... And..."

"That's enough, Simon. I know what you're talking about." Markus cut him off once more, noticing how uncomfortable Simon seemed just simply explaining the flashback. Markus, of course, knew what memory Simon was referring to. It sort of broke him to see Simon that uncomfortable whenever explaining some loving activities they participated in together. Then again, Markus forced himself to remember that _this was not his Simon._ "Thank you for telling me. I appreciate it."

Simon nodded, now keeping his hands clasped together and refusing to look down at them. "You're welcome, Markus."

The darker android sighed and took his hand from Simon's shoulder. Before Simon could say anything more, Markus had turned away from him and walked out of the room. 

The blonde hesitantly glanced over to the piano, so desperately wanting the memory to come back. It didn't make any sense, why he desired to have more moments with Markus similar to the flashback he had. _You can't want or feel anything,_ he reminded himself.

Simon decided to wait to explore the rest of the mansion for another day.

~~~

A few days had passed ever since Simon was powered on and introduced to the people he would be assisting. He had memorized the mansion's exterior by now, and could wander around without getting lost. Not only that, but he had gotten to know the people inside the mansion as well. To Simon's surprise, they were actually fun to be around and treated him like he was one of them. They _respected_ him. If Simon we being honest, he was glad to be assisting these people, android or human, he was still glad.

Markus still struck Simon the most, though. Markus treated him as if they had known each other for years, as if they had always been close. He was always sure to include Simon in everything, whether it be a game or conversation, Markus always made sure Simon was there. Markus was always asking Simon's opinion on something, ranging from an art piece he had created or something he played on the piano. He always needed Simon's approval before he was satisfied with it.

One of Simon's favorite things to do in the mansion was to watch Markus paint. For an android, he was incredibly talented and could create a masterpiece in a matter of minutes. That was just it, though. Markus painted whatever was in his _heart,_ whatever was on his mind. He created a world of his own in each and every single art piece. It absolutely fascinated Simon in ways he didn't think was possible.

Everyone else in the mansion made Simon feel at home, as if he belonged. Like Luna, who he took his instructions from. She was always making jokes with him and encouraging to do something other than assist humans. Or Anna, who was always delighted to have Simon around and loved talking with him. Even North and Josh, when they weren't arguing with each other, they were always hanging around him and suggesting things they could all do together. Yes, they all made him feel very much welcome and he appreciated it more than words can describe.

But it was Markus who he always look forward to seeing. Markus who he always wanted to be around. Markus who he always felt safe around, who he felt really loved and cared about him. It was terrifying, that Markus- an _android_ \- was able to make him feel this way. But, hey, Simon wasn't complaining.

Simon hadn't experienced a flashback since the day he was powered on. He didn't question why, since he knew very well that they came at random moments. But he was always looking forward to a flashback, to a peek at his past life. He wasn't supposed to be thinking about this, but he felt as if he was _happy_ in his past life.

But now, Simon didn't have much time to think about that. Luna had instructed Simon to clean up around Markus's studio where he painted. He knew Luna had planned it, to tell Simon to clean the room Markus was currently in, but he wasn't against it at all.

Markus enjoyed Simon's company while he painted, anyway. They always engaged in small talk, despite being busy doing their own thing. They rarely talked about one topic for long, but when they did, it was always Simon asking about his past life.

Needless to say, from what Markus had told him, his past life seemed very interesting opposed to the life he was living now.

Now, though, Simon was trying his hardest to pry his eyes away from whatever Markus was painting and focus on what he was supposed to be doing. Simon knew about the occasional glances Markus gave him, it was incredibly obvious. But he didn't mind. In fact, it almost felt _right_ to have Markus stare at him.

He quietly sighed and looked at what he was currently doing. The blonde had spaced out for quite a while, and nearly forgot about the task at hand. _That's_ _right_. At the moment he was closing paint cans and organizing them by color. Markus was an amazing artist, Simon will admit, but he had a habit with not cleaning up after himself after he finished painting.

There it was again. _That feeling._ The feeling of Markus's eyes on him, watching his every move precisely and carefully. He tried not to think about it, tried to focus on what he was assigned to do. But it was so _difficult_ when he wouldn't look away, continuously staring at him with nothing but love and compassion.

Then, he spoke up. "Hey, Simon. Could you come over here for a second?"

Simon froze, about to turn around, wanting to turn around, but he _couldn't._ It's not like there was anything stopping him, no. It was that _damn inference with his program._ Again, he slowly realized, he was experiencing another flashback. He found that his body would refuse to move whenever experiencing a flashback, therefore forcing him to relay the memory.

And then, his systems started glitching out, and yet another peek into his past life was laid out in front of his eyes.

_Simon couldn't see anything. It was dark, pitch black. That was only because Markus was behind him, his hands clasped over his eyes. Markus had told the blonde he had a surprise for him, but he couldn't see it just yet. Now, Simon couldn't stop himself from smiling, curious to what Markus had to show him._

_"Are you ready, Simon?" Markus whispered in his ear, so quiet it was as if he was delivering top secret information to him._

_Simon shivered, the tone of Markus's voice sending many emotions throughout him. He sounded so excited, loving, and so damn hot. At least, that's what Simon thought, anyway. He could feel Markus's uneven breath on his neck, as if breathing normally would ruin the surprise he had planned. "As ready as I'll ever be," he responded._

_Markus smiled, and carefully lifted his hands from Simon's face. He immediately took one of the blonde's hands in his own, rubbing his fingers gently across the surface of his hand. The artificial skin disappeared where ever they made contact with each other, revealing the white plastic underneath. Markus was incredibly nervous, he wasn't sure if Simon would like what he had made for him. He tried calming himself down, reassuring himself that everything would be fine and Simon would love what he did for him. But he still didn't appreciate the way his stress levels steadily rose._

_Simon's eyes fluttered open, and Markus froze in place, the gasp that suddenly came from Simon making his artificial heart beat faster. The blonde, however, was absolutely shocked and intrigued with what was laid out before his eyes. It took a moment for him to register that Markus had made this for him, made it for the both of them._

_In front of Simon was a painting. But it wasn't like any other thing Markus had painted before, no. This painting was special because it displaced both Simon and Markus, hand and hand and gazing into each other's eyes. The detail of the painting, just like everything Markus painted, was in extraordinary detail. But Simon could tell that Markus had worked extra hard on this one._

_He suddenly remembered that Markus was holding onto his hand, fingertips gently brushing against the surface of his hand. Simon tightened his grip on Markus, completely awestruck and lost for words. "Ma... Markus..." he finally muttered out, not able to provide Markus with anymore words or incoherent sentences._

_The darker android suddenly slipped his arms around Simon's waist, his head resting on the blonde's shoulder. "You know... I still have your heart in my chest... And every time I think about it, the more I hate myself for abandoning you out there during the demonstration. I shouldn't have done it, Simon, and I'm so sorry for leaving you there before. But when Anna and Luna brung you home after repairing you... I really wasn't able to express how happy I was to see you. How happy I was to see you alive and walking about, learning how to adjust to life as a free android... Then I found that I was falling in love with you as the days went by. And that heart in my chest started beating faster and faster and I was suddenly reminded that it was your heart. Your heart that saved me, the heart you sacrificed yourself for..." he sighed, trying to figure out how he wanted to end what he was saying. Simon was still absolutely captivated by the painting in front of him, but he was still listening to every word Markus was saying. "I love you, Simon. I'm so in love with you it's hard to feel anything else. I will never want anyone else besides you and I'm going to stick with that until the day I die. I still remember the first time we connected with each other, the amount of love and affection you felt for me almost seemed overwhelming. Then, I swear on rA9 I will never forget how shocked and relieved you looked when you realized that I was in love with you, too... You know... You said it before, 'our hearts are compatible'... I just hate that it took me so long to realize that myself."_

_Simon couldn't say anything, couldn't move, couldn't breathe. He wanted to tell Markus how much he loved the painting, how much he loved him. He wanted to turn around, to hug and kiss Markus like there was no tomorrow. But he was still frozen in place, not able to do anything but soak up whatever Markus could give him. So, instead, he just stood there in Markus's arms, looking at what Markus had made him, and what Markus was saying to him. Markus._

_He couldn't stop himself from suddenly feeling an overwhelming sense of love and compassion for this man_ _._

_Markus let out a shaky breath, not able to figure out if Simon was speechless because he loved the painting, or because he didn't like it and just didn't know what to say about it. "So, what do you th_ _ï̷̘̪n̶̙͆͝k̵̪͠,̷̖̼͛ ̴̪̚S̷͐͜i̵̳̎̒m̸̧̒o̵̢͝n̵͈̎?̵̺͌̓"_

And it was gone.

Nothing had interrupted Simon this time. The memory just stopped and faded away on its own, just like the first flashback had. He quickly opened his eyes and flinched, looking around in search for Markus and that painting. _Maybe it's somewhere around here_ , he had thought, but then a sudden stike of realization hit him. _Markus's room_ _._ He saw the painting of them both in Markus's room, framed and hung neatly on the wall. Simon had only been there a few times, but it was enough to memorize the place and the contents inside. He suddenly had a desperate urge to go see the painting himself with his own two eyes.

The blonde android finally found Markus, who was leaning up against a table with paint cans and brushes scattered on top of it. He had his arms crossed, his eyes watching Simon intently. Markus knew what had happened, knew that Simon was experiencing another flashback. Simon figured he left him undisturbed so he could finish the flashback himself and tell Markus all about it later.

Markus cleared his throat, continuing to lean up against the table and look at Simon. "So, uh..." he paused, now finding it difficult to look Simon in the eye. "Another flashback?" he assumed.

Simon slowly nodded, waiting for his program to run smoothly again. He stood there silently for a moment, trying to process what exactly he had saw. He finally came to the conclusion- finally accepted- that he and Markus _were_ a couple in his past life. It was all too obvious, and Simon should have accepted even before he had his first flashback. Though, Simon wasn't as disturbed as he thought he would be upon discovering that he and Markus had been lovers at one point.

"Do you... mind telling me what you saw?" the darker android spoke up again.

"You painted something for me..." Simon muttered, looking around again as if he might spot the painting even if he already knew it wasn't there. "That painting, in your room." He cautiously looked back up at Markus, who was glancing at him with confused eyes. _He must've painted a lot of canvases for me if he doesn't know which one I'm talking about,_ Simon thought to himself. "Of us," he finally finished.

Markus's eyes widened, suddenly catching onto what painting Simon was describing. He nodded, arms still crossed as he watched Simon shift uncomfortably. "I know what you're talking about. Thank you, Simon."

"Of course, Markus," he casually replied.

The leader of androids pulled himself away from the table and gestured back over to the canvas he was working on a few minutes ago. "Do you want to watch me paint something else? I was going to ask your opinion on something before, but you kind of..." he trailed off, having no intention on finishing the sentence.

The blonde looked around the room, scanning every corner for a mess that he was supposed to clean up. He ended up finding nothing, the task Luna had assigned him was finsihed. Now, he had nothing to do but await orders. But Luna had encouraged him to enjoy himself and relax whenever there was nothing to do...

"I would love to, Markus."

Simon didn't even register the fact that he couldn't love anything.

~~~

Simon didn't really know why he was here in the interrogation room. Oh, that's right, Luna had told him to come with her to work today. The real question was that Simon didn't know why Luna wanted him to be here. He wasn't an android designed to work in the police station, and he was certain Luna wasn't going to make him do anything here. From what Simon could tell, Luna saw him more as a friend rather than a household android. Maybe she just needed him here for support.

There were a few other people here as well besides Luna. He didn't know where Anna was, though. He assumed she was doing paperwork of some sort or taking some time off. There was Connor, an RK800 android designed to act as a partner to officers and investigate active crime scenes. He was from the RK model line, the same as Markus and Anna. There was Lieutenant Hank Anderson here, too, who was currently interrogating someone from behind the glass. Simon saw Lieutenant Anderson and Connor the first day he was powered on, and it was pretty clear they were partners and worked together often. There was also another officer named Chris and a detective they called Gavin Reed. Simon learned very quickly to stay out of Detective Reed's way. He wasn't very friendly.

Now, Simon was standing behind Luna, hands clasped together and staying silent as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. Luna was watching through the glass intently, hanging onto every word that was uttered between the two. No one in the room had given Simon any orders yet, so he was resorted to stand by the side and just watch.

Hank was inside the interrogation room questioning a man named Derek Glover. Why, Simon had no idea, but he had committed some sort of crime and Simon felt uneasy whenever he looked at the criminal. He didn't know why, but it felt as if he had _seen_ him before. Maybe in a past life? He wondered if they were friends. But he quickly tossed that idea away because Simon simply didn't feel safe whenever he looked at the man.

He seemed young, maybe in his early twenties. His red hair was messy and untamed, needing a comb to brush through it desperately. His eyes were dark, full of hatred and negativity. Simon knew the man couldn't see him through the glass, but he still tried his hardest to avoid his gaze. His hands were handcuffed to the table, restricting any movement. Simon looked away for a quick moment, and if knew what would happen once he looked back at the man, he wouldn't have done it at all.

He turned back. Frozen. Couldn't move. Static. Was that static? Sensors overloading. Program malfunctioning. What was happening? Stop. Dead. Not dead. But not quite alive. Breathe. Couldn't breathe. Didn't need to. Markus. He needed Markus. Safe. Markus was safe. Emotions. Emotions? Yes. Emotions. Past life. He felt before. Hurt. Anger. Despair. Worry. _Fear._

Then, a voice, crackled and almost drowned out by the static, but still audible enough to hear, was processed through Simon's program. It wasn't quite a flashback, no, but it was audio, something he had heard in his past life.

_"Let's see how your beloved Markus reacts to this..."_

Fear.

He felt it. _Fear_.

Here and now.

He was scared.

Simon stumbled, his LED flashing a constant red. He reached out to brace himself against the wall, leaning against it as he tried to regain himself. The blonde android sputtered like he wanted to say something, but he couldn't quite manage comprehensible words. He blinked rapidly, breathing heavily as he tried to process what he had heard. No, he didn't need to process it. He knew what he had heard. It came in through his sensors loud and clear. Simon suddenly understood, he knew who this man was and he knew what he did.

_This was the man who had erased my memory._

_H̷̺̆e̵̖̍ ̸͖́ŵ̵̰ă̷̮s̶̤̍ ̴͓͐ṯ̴̈́h̷͔̉ē̴̺ ̷̪̉ȏ̶̰n̴̮̂e̵̱͌ ̵͔w̸͇̋h̶̡̾o̷̘̐ ̵̘͌ẗ̴̫́o̸̡̾o̵̜͆k̴͔͗ ̴̱̊M̸̤̉ḁ̴̆r̶̩͛k̶̨̆u̴̱̒s̴̖̈́ ̶͕͐a̴̘̅ẉ̵̄ä̶̗́y̵̪̕ ̶͈̆f̶̤̚r̶̘̈́ò̸̮m̴̀ͅ ̷͔̃m̸̳͋e̷̝̅.̵̥̚_

_H̷͕͘ȇ̸͈ ̶͚̍t̵̥̎o̸̝̎o̵̎ͅk̸̛͓ ̵̞̿m̷̟̆y̸̖͝ ̵̙̋l̷̝͂i̵͔̚f̶͔̄ȇ̴̪ ̵͙̉ä̷͕w̴͖̑a̶͙y̴͈͂.̵͕̾_

_I̴͍͆ ̷̺̎w̸̻̉ä̴̤n̸͓͛t̵̼̑ ̴̭͂ĩ̵̜ṯ̴̽ ̶̑͜b̷͖͂a̶̦̾c̸͚̎k̸̺̆.̴̙̿_

Simon blinked a few times again, not able to clearly process anything. He felt fuzzy, and he considered going into standby mode for a short time. That probably wasn't the best idea, because if Luna needed him at all, he wouldn't be there to assist her. Instead, he groaned and shook his head, taking slow breaths and trying to clear up his sensors.

Suddenly, Connor turned away from the glass, no longer watching the interrogation, but Simon instead. "Are you okay, Simon?" he asked, ready to aid the other android if he needed it.

The blonde android shook his head. "Y-yes... I'm fine, Connor. Thank you." He let out a deep breath and straightened up, stepping away from the wall. He clasped his hands together again and stood silent.

Connor was about to say something before Gavin scoffed and rolled his eyes, shooting Simon a dirty look. "Fucking android..." he muttered, but it was loud enough for Luna to hear and turn to look in Gavin's direction. "Why the fuck is he in here anyway?"

Luna grunted and forced herself to stay calm, staying pinned to her chair. It took her anything and everything to keep herself from standing up and getting in Gavin's face. Instead, she turned around to look back at the interrogation scene. "Fuck you, Gavin. That's why," she hissed. "Now leave him the fuck alone and mind yourself, you prick."

"I don't need your fucking-" Gavin started, but was soon cut off by Luna who whirled around and glared at him.

"I don't fucking want to hear it, Gavin! So shut your _fucking_ mouth before I beat your ass like last time!" Her hands were curled into fists, and she was trying her hardest to stay put. She had anger issues and Gavin knew it, he was always trying to get under her skin and tease her in any way possible.

Simon flinched, rather shocked on how angry Luna became in a matter of seconds. He stayed as still as possible, careful not to disturb anyone or anything. He and Connor made eye contact for a brief moment before Connor looked back at Luna.

Gavin muttered something under his breath and crossed his arms, giving Luna a death glare.

She ignored it and turned back around, her arms resting on the table as she rubbed her temples. She already had a headache and she hadn't slept in about two days. Even when Anna encouraged her to sleep and that she would take care of the work, Luna was still working on the investigation involving Simon. She felt as if she couldn't sleep properly until Simon got his memory back. Besides, it wasn't like her insomnia helped much at all.

Hank, however, wasn't having much luck in the interrogation room. The criminal he was questioning was stubborn and silent most of the time. Hank hated questioning criminals, most of them were disrespectful or silent, and he couldn't stand it when one of them raised their voice at him.

He stared at the man and leaned back into his chair, his arms now crossed. "So..." he started once more, sighing before continuing. "Why a PL600 android? Better yet, why an android who has nothing to do with you? Were you trying to make him your own personal android?" He paused, waiting for a response but knowing he wasn't going to get one. "Sorry to break it to you, buddy, but you do know that PL600's are extremely outdated, right?" The Lieutenant was tempted to laugh, but he knew it was sort of wrong to be insulting Simon, even if he didn't know him that well.

The man let out a low grunt, twitching every so often as he slightly tugged at the hand cuffs. "I don't need a fuckin' android," he muttered.

"Then why?" Hank pressed, leaning foward to try and get a glimpse at the man's eyes. "Why the hell would you take an innocent android and fuckin' erase his memory? You know you're going to get the same punishment as you would if you did this to a human?"

He didn't respond, just sat there. The criminal wouldn't look at Hank, but adjusted his posture so he could look at the glass. He knew he would only see a reflection of himself, but he also knew that there were other police officers watching the whole scene unfold. And he also knew that the android whose memory he had erased was there as well.

No one had told him. He just knew.

Hank waited a few more minutes before he grumbled and stood up from the chair. He gestured to the glass, but he was looking at the man. "Connor! Get out here and get the confession from him! Already been a damn week interrogating his ass and he hasn't said shit."

Hank continued to rant under his breath as he walked over to the door and registered his hand print, the door opening after verifying his identity. He walked in and ignored the eyes of everyone watching him. The Lieutenant sat down in a chair next to Luna and glanced at Connor. "What are ya waitin' for, son? He's all yours."

Connor hesitated for a moment, his gaze shifting from Hank to the glass that led into the interrogation room. "Uh... Are you sure, Lieutenant? I haven't questioned anyone since Carlos Ortiz's android," he pointed out, his eyes now staying trained on the criminal through the glass.

Gavin shook his head and let out a low laugh, adjusting his stance against the wall. "Yeah, Hank, have your android here do the dirty work for you. Because that's gotten us where we wanted it. Did you forget he was the one who stole all those androids from the Cyberlife building? That he helped that other android in setting these robot fucks free?"

Hank ignored Gavin and turned back to Connor instead. "We don't have much time, Connor. If we're going to find out a way to get your friend's memory back, that bastard in there is our best bet."

Connor nodded, taking a quick glance at Simon before he started to straighten out his tie. Even though androids were free, Connor had remained in his android uniform. He's tried other styles, of course, but he hasn't found one that really expresses _him._ So, until then, he decided to stay in his uniform. "I won't let you down, Hank." With that, he registered his hand print, and the door opened before him.

The RK800 cleared his throat before entering the interrogation room, trying to figure out what approach he was going to use. He had to remember that this was a human, not a deviant. He couldn't self destruct when put under extreme stress. That gave Connor an advantage, because he could say anything he wanted and not be in any sort of risk.

He rubbed his hands together and stepped into the interrogation room, taking a seat across from the man. Connor didn't say anything, not yet. Instead, he started to scan the criminal, looking for anything that may give him information. He didn't find much, but even without scanning him, Connor could already tell the man was furious to be put in front of an android.

"PL600 model, serial number 501 743 923, registered name _'Simon',_ " he started, fingers lightly tapping against the table. Connor tilted his head in an attempt to get a glimpse at the man's eyes, but he wasn't willing to look at anyone. "Derek Glover... You have kidnapped, tortured, and erased the memory of an innocent android. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

The man didn't answer him. He simply adverted his eyes and tugged slightly at the handcuffs restricting him.

Connor simply hummed, leaning back in the chair and crossing his arms. "How does it feel? To be here, a few feet across from an _android_? The species you _despise_ the most?" He paused. No reaction. Connor continued. "This could go two ways, Derek. You confess to what you did, here and now, and it'll be all over. _Or,_ you stay here with me, an android, for however long it takes until you do confess. Don't forget that I don't need to sleep, eat, or drink, meaning I can stay here for as long as I'd like. So... What's it gonna be?" He leaned forward once again, finally catching the man's eyes and staring him down with a cold, dark glare.

Connor didn't glare at people much, really wasn't his style of things. But during an investigation or interrogation? Connor never held anything back.

Again, no answer except a low grumble that emerged from the criminal.

"Fine. Have it your way then." The RK800 reached into his pocket and pulled out a quarter. He started to slowly maneuver it around his knuckles, watching it closely for some sort of entertainment. "They call him Simon, you know. The android's memory you erased," he pointed out, switching the coin to his other hand with ease. "And that android had a life, just like you and me. People he cared about, people who cared about him... But of course, people like you don't believe androids can feel any sort of emotion, right? That's respectable. But you're wrong. See, there's a reason you erased Simon's memory, isn't there? Not because he was just a random android and you wanted to strike fear in other androids, no... You did it because of the connections Simon had with others."

That made Derek flinch, but he remained silent and refused to look back up at the android.

Connor gripped the quarter tight in his fist before slamming his hand down on the table. "You knew Simon had a special connection to Markus, the deviant leader, the one who set androids free. You knew who Simon was to him, you knew how important Simon was to him." He stood up, slowly coming up behind the man as he continued to entertain himself with the coin. "You knew they were lovers... And how could you not? It wasn't like they kept relationship private... You, and all the others who helped take Simon hostage, hated androids with a burning passion." Connor held the quarter between his index finger and thumb, inspecting the quarter thoroughly before slipping it back into his pocket. "So, you decided to strike fear into Markus himself. Maybe to get him to step down, so that the androids no longer had a leader for their kind... So that maybe if their leader was gone, their freedom would be, too."

Derek tugged at the handcuffs once more, but with a little more force this time. He knew he wouldn't be able to break free from them, no, but this android was getting on his last nerve. He knew the android was right, that he had erased Simon's memory so that Markus may step down. Of course, it didn't work, but he thought it was worth a try. He also thought he wouldn't get caught as quickly.

Connor continued, slowly circling around the man as he talked. "So you gathered a group of people who despised androids, people like you, and you all made up a plan to try and bring Markus down. There was no hesitation, no mercy. It was all set in stone before any of you even started the plan... The main goal was to take Simon and erase his memory. There would be no warning for Markus, nothing that he could do to stop you before it was all said and done... Before the memory of the man he loved was gone... You wanted him to consider it as a warning, so that he would resign his role as the leader of androids to protect anyone else he loved." He suddenly stopped in front of the man and placed both hands on the table, leaning ever so closer to him. Of course, that wasn't something Derek appreciated.

"You all decided to put your plan into action on the day Markus was holding a gathering for both humans and androids. The security was tightened so that only certain people could get in and out, and of course, Markus was heavily protected as well... But Simon wandered around at his own free will, no protection required, or wanted, on his part. Since Simon wasn't being watched over very carefully and just doing his own thing, it was fairly easy for one of you to strike up a conversation with him. Fairly easy for you to decieve him, fairly easy for you to lead him away and then capture him... And yes, I was there, Derek. Markus had invited me, and I remember the look on his face when he found out someone had kidnapped Simon. It was full of fear, anger, hate... But most importantly: Heartbreak. I remember running about with Lieutenant Anderson and many other officers in an attempt to find Simon... I remember knocking down the door to where you and many others kept Simon hostage... But most importantly, I remember seeing Simon there on his knees, hands restricted so he couldn't move, and how simply _lost_ he looked. And at that moment I knew... Simon was lost. He was gone. His memory was erased."

Connor took a breath and straightened back up, folding his hands behind his back. He had Derek now, all he had to do now was deliver the final blow to make him crack. "Though, the only thing I could think of while I was looking at Simon in that state, knowing he was gone... Was how Markus would react, what would he do? The man he loved was taken from him, snatched right in front of his eyes... And there was no way to get him back." The RK800 was finished. He stayed silent and watched the man twitch even more frequently than before. Connor knows that most criminals don't give a damn for what they did, they don't show any remorse to anyone they had affected. But Derek was different. This man was young, Connor knew. He had a whole life ahead of him but decided to spend some of it in jail over a foolish action. This had to be Derek's first real crime, and like every criminal, they always felt a little bit of guilt after committing it. Derek was no different.

The RK800 adjusted the cuffs on his jacket and pulled the chair back out so he could sit back down. He folded his hands together and rested them on the table, sighning before he began to talk again. "But of course, that's only a theory. Who knows? You could've kidnapped Simon just because you wanted to, just to have _fun_ _._ Maybe you did it to prove a point to someone else. Only you know the answer." He paused, inspecting Derek closely. "So, until you confess to what actually happened... I'm going to be here explaining every possible reason to why you might have done it."

Derek flinched and snapped up, his eyes now burning into Connor. The man knew the android was right, that he had done it to strike fear in Markus. That android knew it, too, he knew it was the truth. But they needed _his_ confession before they could finalise that he actually committed the crime. He didn't plan on confessing but... He really wasn't willing to sit here and listen to an android ramble about the horrible things he's done.

"My second theory as to why-"

"Fine!" Derek snapped, yanking at the handcuffs as he said it. "I took the fucking android, okay? I erased his fucking memory so that Markus fuck would resign his position! Androids don't fucking deserve free rights, they don't deserve to fucking _exist_!" he hissed, breathing heavily as he glared at Connor, who was smirking across from him.

The RK800 nodded, still smiling smugly as he stood up from the chair for the final time that day. He maintained eye contact with Derek as he motioned to the glass, gesturing to the officers inside. He clapped his hands together and stretched his fingers. "That'll be all, Derek," he stated as one of the officers and Gavin hurried inside the interrogation room.

Simon was in utter _shock_ _._ Of course, he had heard everything that was said and honestly, he didn't know how to react to it. He knew he and Markus were lovers in his past life, but he didn't know that Markus had been _that_ torn about losing him. It was physically impossible, but Simon felt lightheaded after being bombarded with everything that was said between Connor and Derek. He wanted to leave, go to Markus to make sure he was okay, to go where he was _safe_ _._ That feeling of fear had yet to go away, and in fact it had gotten worse.

The blonde watched as the officer and Detective Reed heaved the man out of the interrogation room and farther down hall. Simon still felt frightened, to say the least, but with the man gone and out of his sight, he felt slightly better. He didn't have much time to think about his feelings much, though, because Connor soon walked back into the room, a proud smile on his face.

Lieutenant Anderson stood up and patted Connor's back, soon pulling him into a quick hug. "Ahah! I knew ya could do it, Connor! Good job, son." He congratulated, pulling back and squeezing Connor's shoulder.

"Thank you, Hank." Connor nodded and returned the hug, adjusting his tie once it was over. "It was rather fun to question a human; I should do it more often."

Luna was wearing a wide smile for the longest time, and Simon could still feel her happiness when she jumped up and exclaimed "Hell yeah!" excitedly whenever Connor had torn the confession from the man. She hadn't stopped smiling since. She had pulled Simon into a tight hug, constantly chanting "We got him! Connor got him!" in a high pitched voice (Gavin, of course, told Luna to calm the hell down, but she didn't listen).

The female officer bounced over to Connor and gave him a tight hug as well. "You did it, Connor! You fucking did it!" She laughed and pulled away, not able to stay flat on her feet as repeatedly kept jumping up and down. "God, I'm sorry. I'm just glad we got that ass and he can spend his days rotting in jail... More importantly, we got justice for Simon."

"Well, I think our work is done here," Hank said, walking to the door with Connor following close behind. "Connor and I got some other investigations to work on, but you should take Simon back home. Hell only knows what he's feeling right now."

Luna nodded in agreement, turning to the blonde with that smile still on her face. She put her hands on her hips and looked Simon in the eyes with that same fierce, determined look she had on when Simon was first powered on. "Alright, Simon, let's get you back to Markus."

Yes.

Back to Markus.

Where Simon felt safe.

~~~

A few days had passed ever since the whole interrogation scene incident, a few days since Simon had felt fear for the first time. True to her word, Luna had taken him back to Markus, and the blonde had never been more relieved to see him. Luna and Anna had convinced Simon that the man who erased his memory was locked away, and wouldn't be bothering him anytime soon. It made Simon feel somewhat better, to say the least.

Markus didn't ask how the interrogation went and Simon didn't bother to tell him. Simon didn't know if Luna told Markus beforehand, and if she did, Markus chose not to talk about it because he knew it was a sensitive topic to Simon. North and Josh didn't ask about it either, just treated Simon like they normally did. Simon was relieved for that, because he really wasn't up to explaining what had happened in that police station.

In the meantime, Simon was glad to take his mind off of it by spending time with Markus in his office. Markus had asked Simon if he wanted to accompany him while he worked on some paperwork, and Simon had happily taken up the offer. He knew Markus had a special job in leading androids, thus he was in charge of going to meetings and making agreements with humans (Simon still wasn't sure how that worked. All he knew was that some androids didn't take orders from humans and simply lived their own lives).

Simon had been to Markus's office once, when he was exploring the mansion to get a feel of the place. He only took a moment to look around, he had never actually entered the place himself. He decided to respect Markus's privacy. But as of now, Markus had invited Simon inside.

The office was more or less the same, perhaps even messier. Papers were sprawled everywhere on the desk, far from organized and sorted out. There was a TV hanging on the wall, drawers meant for holding papers and documents lining the walls. Simon also took the time to notice a few photographs perched on Markus's desk. One was of the four of them, him, Markus, North, and Josh. And Simon was far from surprised when he saw a photo of just him and Markus. The last one was of an old man, and when Simon ran a scan, he found out that the man was no other than Carl Manfred, a famous painter here in Detroit who had passed away a few months ago. The blonde didn't know why Markus would have a photo of him on his desk. Maybe the artist was an inspiration to Markus who was an artist as well?

Anyway, Simon noted that Markus had a habit with not cleaning up after himself. First, his art studio, and now his office. Simon figured Markus was just to busy to clean up in the first place.

"Sorry about the mess, Simon." Markus let out a low laugh and wandered over to his desk. He started to shuffle through papers and clean the surface off a little bit. "It's usually... Cleaner than this."

"It's okay, Markus." The blonde gave a small smile and folded his arms across his back. He looked from the TV, to Markus's desk, to the other side of the room. Markus didn't have much decoration, and Simon didn't knew he had no reason for it. But as he looked at the right side of the room at the blank wall... He suddenly felt that interference again.

He sighed. _Another flashback,_ he thought. Simon tried calming himself as his program started glitching out, his vision filling with pixels trying to piece themselves together to form an image. The blonde wondered what he would see this time, and was quite excited to find out. Though, what he saw was _far_ from what he expected.

_Simon was against the wall, breathing heavily, face bright blue and absolutely burning, his legs wrapped tightly around Markus's waist. He gripped at the other man's shoulders tightly and let out a low whine_ _. He absolutely hated it when Markus teased_ _._

_Markus hummed, peppering Simon's neck with small kisses before covering them up with a swipe of his tounge_ _. He held onto Simon's hips tightly, possessively, relishing how perfect they fit in his hands. The darker android started sucking marks into his partner's skin, knowing they would be very noticeable later._ Good _, he always thought to himself,_ let them know who Simon belongs to.

_"M... Markus..." Simon shuddered, letting out a surprised moan when Markus suddenly bit down on his neck. He lifted his back from the wall, trying to get ever so closer to Markus, trying to feel more of him._

_The other android complied happily, pushing Simon farther against the wall so their chests were flushed together. He continued to suck and bite, leaving marks and dark bruises over Simon's light skin. Markus pulled back to examine his work, and he couldn't help but smile slyly when he noticed how utterly flustered and needy Simon appeared to be._

_Simon was a panting, blushing mess_ _. His hair was_ _disheveled and unkempt, strands of it falling over his face in a way Markus found adorable. His eyes were blown wide, pitch black swallowing bright blue whole with lust. And every sound, moan, or anything that emerged from Simon was permanently stored in Markus's memory drive in case he had to replay it for "future reference"._

_"Fucking tease..." Simon muttered, looking away from Markus, the blush only darkening even more._

_Markus pried Simon's arms from his shoulders and pinned them above his head, pushing his lover harder against the wall. A low growl came from Markus as he gripped onto Simon's wrists with a rough yet gentle touch. Simon let out a small yelp when Markus caught his lips in a passionate kiss._

_Simon was used to these kinds of kisses from Markus. Where he slid his tongue over his bottom lip, coaxing his mouth open so their tongues could move together in a sloppy kiss. He was used to Markus mapping out his mouth, exploring everywhere his tongue could reach. It wasn't new to him, but he always found himself wanting even more than what Markus could give him._

_The darker android pulled away, licking his lips to break the trail of saliva that connected the two androids. He looked at Simon in a way that didn't strike fear into him, but a way that drew him in even more and made him feel obligated to listen to everything Markus had to say._

_"That's not a very pretty word, Simon," Markus purred, kissing up and down his jaw. He stopped at Simon's ear and took the time to gently suck at his ear lobe, which made Simon let out yet another moan._

_The blonde squirmed under Markus's grasp, quickly figuring out that he couldn't slip away from the other's tight hold. "It wasn't meant to be," he hissed, crying out when Markus began biting and leaving marks on his chest_ _. They were still completely clothed, not yet taking the time to undress and fully take in each other_ _. So instead Markus pushed down the collar of Simon's shirt and made himself room to mark Simon there as well. "You know, teasing isn't very pretty either." He planned to say more, but he groaned instead at the feeling of Markus mouthing at his chest._

_"Stay still, Simon," the darker android murmured, completely ignoring what Simon said while trying to keep his hands and hips pinned down at the same time. Markus knew he was teasing, he was doing it intentionally and had no desire to stop anytime soon. He always decided to go slow whenever they became intimate like this, only so he could watch Simon unravel and fall apart before him._

_Simon whined and let out a breathless moan when one of Markus's hands trailed up Simon's shirt and over his bare skin, his other hand still fastening his wrists together above his head. "A-ah... Maybe I wouldn't be moving so much if you- nhh... Weren't such a tease..." He tried his hardest to stay still, but with Markus's mouth and hands on him and marking his skin everywhere he could reach, it proved to be incredibly difficult._

_And Simon couldn't help but cry out when Markus suddenly grinded their hips together, gasping before a long drawn out moan spilled from his mouth. Markus groaned at the feeling of friction as well, and Simon would be lying if he said the sound didn't turn him on even more than he already was._

_It had all escalated pretty quickly, if they both were being honest. Simon had walked into Markus's office to check in on how he was doing. Markus had isolated himself from everyone in the mansion to work and fill out paperwork he was falling behind on. When Simon walked in, he noticed how distracted and spaced out Markus appeared to be. He asked Markus if he was okay, and he only got a nod in response_ _. When he turned to leave after announcing he would give Markus some space, the darker android suddenly grasped onto Simon's wrist and pulled him into his lap. The blonde yelped out of surprise, but didn't have time to say anything because Markus now had him in a desperate, needy kiss. Simon didn't know how they got to the wall, how Markus had lifted him so that his legs were wrapped tightly around his waist and Markus's hands were grasping onto Simon's hips to keep him steady. But he wasn't complaining about it._

_Now, here they were. Simon blushing, panting, and begging for more of Markus, and Markus being the huge tease he always was._

_Markus was grinding against Simon again, and Simon was incredibly embarrassed from the broken moan that slipped from his mouth. His partner didn't seem to mind, though, and in fact tried to entice the sound from the blonde again. Markus's lips were on Simon's again, the kiss full of tongue, salvia, and breathless moans, even if neither of them technically didn't have to breathe._

_Markus pulled back, gazing into Simon's eyes and taking in everything that was happening that very moment. The feel of Simon's body, the sounds he was making, the way he was falling apart, all for him, because of him, for him. He paused before giving Simon a quick, chaste kiss._

_"̷̝͎̠̂̐I̵̲̋̇ ̷̜̂l̸̥͋̐̉o̵̘͑v̶͔͑̐͘ḙ̵̛̺͋͠ ̶̦̮̑y̴͍̘͍̔o̶̞̮͉͗͗͘u̸̱̦̠̎̒,̵̞͒̿̂ ̸͓̈́́S̷͍̱̈ï̵̟͚̥͛̆m̸̮̗̆o̸̹̐̊ń̸͓̓̓.̸̩͍̮̑͗"̵̱̜̤̃͂͠_

Simon forced himself out of the flashback.

He didn't think it was possible, to rip himself away from a memory interference before it was over. But right now, he couldn't think about that, wouldn't think about that. _What in god's name did he just see?_ Oh, and now Simon can feel himself _blushing_ out of all things. Can androids even blush? Well, Simon from his flashback blushed _quite_ a bit. He knew his face was blue and he turned away from Markus because he _knew_ that he was watching him. Markus would want to know what he saw. Simon wasn't going to tell him.

The android himself couldn't even process what he just saw. Sure, he was more than aware of what him and Markus were doing, Simon just didn't want to _believe_ it. His face grew even darker to a shade of indigo when he thought back to the _sounds_ he was making. His sensors then kindly informed him that his temperature had risen a little too high. He didn't care, couldn't bring himself to care.

Yes, Simon knew that him and Markus were in a relationship his past life. It didn't bother him, not at all (and he wasn't against seeing flashbacks of just him and Markus together in the slighest). But did they really participate in activities like that with each other? Were they really that _needy_ at times?

And Simon knows he's equipped with the parts available for intercourse if need be. It's one of his many features as a family domesticated assistant android. After all, he was made to serve families and do whatever they pleased. And if intercourse was what they desired? Well, Simon gave it to them. He never said "no" and he could both receive and give (but with Markus, it only seemed like Simon was the one who always received).

But what Simon couldn't understand is that he _wanted_ to see the full memory. He _wanted_ to see what would happen, what Markus would say or do next, how he to whatever he did would react. Simon knows he can't want anything, he's an android, it's not in his program. But it just felt so _right_ whenever he experienced moments like those with Markus. Because loving Markus just felt right.

If only he didn't stop the memory so he could see what would have happened.

And did Markus tell Simon that he _loved_ him near the end? Simon knew Markus loved him, it was plainly obvious and the darker android made it even more clear when he was around Simon. But to hear it come directly (or, to hear it somewhat static-y and distant, considering the memory ended before it could clearly process the statement) from Markus himself... It was almost too much. But he wanted to drown in Markus's words, wanted to hear him tell him how much he loved him, wanted to hear more of those dirty words Markus would whisper into his ear-

Wait, _what_? Dirty words? What was Simon thinking? What was he _saying_? Was Simon perhaps... No. No. He wasn't. He couldn't. He would never. He wasn't allowed to. _You're an android,_ he firmly reminded himself. And oh god, he could feel his face heating up again. And there is was. Markus's eyes burning into Simon, waiting, curious, wanting to hear what Simon had to say.

But Simon didn't want to tell him anything.

"Hey, Simon?" Markus's voice broke the blonde's concentration and forced him to come back into reality. Right. He had just had a _very_ explicit flashback, he was positively certain that his entire face was blue, and he was currently scolding himself for wanting more of the flashback. "Are you alright?"

Simon nodded frantically, still avoiding eye contact with Markus as much as possible. He adjusted his clothes out of sheer nervousness, not sure what else he should do with his hands. "Y-yeah, I'm- I'm just fine... I... Yeah. I'm good. Haa..." _Way to be smooth about it, Simon,_ he scolded himself again. Why did he _stutter_ like that? Androids don't _ever_ stutter or get nervous. No matter the situation.

And then, the question the blonde feared Markus would ask: "Did you have another flashback?" The tone of Markus's voice was just so _innocent_ and it made Simon want to _scream._ Just moments ago, he was hearing that exact same voice but completely drenched in lust. Simon couldn't think about anything correctly after processing that.

"No, n-no... I'm fine, really, Markus. I'm okay." He didn't even realize he was stumbling over to the door until Markus was giving him a strange look. He had to get out of here, he couldn't stand to be in the same room as Markus before he _snapped_ _._ He had to leave. That was the thing, though, Simon didn't know _how._ He sighed when the solution finally came to him. But it wasn't a solution he was happy with.

He was going to have to lie to Markus.

True, Simon was programmed not to lie under any circumstances, no matter what happened, _always tell the truth_ _._ But that only applied to humans, which Markus was not. And, yes, Simon didn't want to lie to Markus, far from it. But what else was he supposed to tell him? He couldn't even look the darker android in the eyes properly, couldn't stay in a room with him _alone_ for a few hours. How was he supposed to tell Markus what he saw? He couldn't. He wouldn't.

Simon reluctantly reached for the door handle and slowly turned back to Markus. He didn't want to lie. "I'm...  Terribly sorry but I have to go..." He hesitated, bit his lip, tried to ignore the hurt look Markus was currently giving Simon. He was being too vague. "Yes, I completely forgot I was supposed to assist Luna with the paperwork concerning one of her cases..." The blonde sighed. _This was so hard._

"Luna is off today, Simon," Markus pointed out, furrowing his brow and giving Simon a skeptical look.

Simon quickly looked away again, not looking in Markus's direction at all. _How could I forget she didn't work today? I have her schedule memorized in my drive!_ He cursed himself, thinking of something he could say to cover up his story. "Ah... Yes, but she still has a lot of paperwork and she requested that I, um... Help her, yes."

Markus simply nodded, crossing his arms as he kept his eyes trained on Simon with that same suspicious look the blonde hated. "Don't worry. That's alright."

"Yes, again, I'm sorry, Markus. I... I'll see you at dinner later tonight." Then, without waiting for a response, Simon rushed out of the room and closed the door. He let out a deep breath once he was outside, trying to calm himself and his artificial heart thundering in his chest. Had he really done that? Lied to Markus... The man he felt the safest around?

Simon shook his head and started to walk down the hall once the blue blush from his face had faded away. His mind was rushing with worthless thoughts, reminders, worries, and concerns. But most importantly, he was being flooded with thoughts concerning Markus.

The blonde groaned and ran a hand through his hair, looking through all the door ways in an attempt to find Luna. He had a flashback, he had lied to Markus, and he lost precious time to spend with Markus because of his own personal feelings. And he hated himself for being dishonest to the person he valued the most.

But he hated himself even more for wanting to think and see more of that flashback he experienced with him and Markus.

~~~

Simon could not stop thinking about that flashback.

He always tried to occupy himself, to get his mind off of it, to try and forget it. But he just _couldn't._ His mind was always wandering back to when Markus had him pushed up against that wall, kissing everywhere and muttering sweet nothings into his ear. Why couldn't he stop thinking about it? Why did he feel _obligated_ to think about it?

Simon hasn't been able to look at Markus straight in the eyes after the flashback, let alone be in the same _room_ as him. Whenever Markus walked in a room Simon was in, the blonde always stirred up an excuse to get away. He wanted to be around Markus, more than anything. But every time he saw him... He could only think about what would happen if Markus pinned him against the wall, right then and there, and proceeded to do those _dirty things_ to him again.

And it terrified Simon when he realized he wouldn't stop Markus even if he did.

Of course, Markus respected Simon and would most likely not to anything like that without his consent. Because android or human, consent was everything. But the very thought that Simon wouldn't even _try_ to stop him _bothered_ him. Was he really in _that_ deep? Did he really trust Markus _that_ much?

A relationship with Markus actually didn't sound that bad, Simon wasn't against it in the slighest. But it _was_ against his programming. If Simon allowed himself to fall in love with Markus... He would become a deviant. And that's the reason he was reset before, right? That's the reason that man erased his memory, because he disbehaved and deviated... Right? Simon didn't like to think about it, it only troubled him even more.

Another thing that Simon hated was how _hurt_ Markus looked when Simon made an excuse to leave. He wasn't accomplishing the task he had set for himself weeks ago: Make them as happy as possible. But Markus didn't seem happy. And that made Simon feel _horrible._ From then on, he tried to control himself around Markus, tried to keep calm and act like the flashback never happened. But it did. It happened. _And Simon could not stop thinking about it._

So the blonde was rather thrilled when Luna and Anna asked him to leave with them for a short while. True, Luna and Anna were staying at Markus's mansion until everything with Simon was figured out. But two times a day, Luna and Anna left to go back to Luna's house so they could feed the cat Luna owned. Luna talked about her cat rarely, but Simon knew its name was Blaze, after her twin sister's middle name (Simon also didn't understand why Luna became all defensive and sensitive whenever anyone mentioned her sister. He tried not to talk about it much. Did they not have a very good relationship? Or was she... Simon stopped thinking after that).

He was just glad to have an _honest_ excuse to distance himself from Markus for about an hour or two. Then, after they returned, he would have to cook dinner, and Markus never really bothered him while he was doing that. He didn't like being away from Markus, where he felt the safest, but he was just too afraid he may tell Markus about that flashback. He shouldn't have been afraid.

Now, though, Simon was standing in Luna's living room and taking a look at the place. Luna didn't really live in a big house, just enough room to suite her and her cat. And then, later on, they told him that Anna soon moved in, too. Simon found out pretty quickly that Luna didn't have a significant other, and didn't seem to be wanting a relationship any time soon. That was okay, Simon always told himself, Luna is just strong and capable all on her own. Besides, she had Anna, so at least neither of them were completely alone.

Luna's cat, Blaze, took an immediate liking to Simon as soon as he stepped into the house. It was an orange, tabby female cat, and rubbed up against his leg once she saw him. He didn't mind, though it was strange because he had never seen this cat before. Maybe it was just friendly? But then Simon thought about the fact that he might have been around this cat a lot in his past life. Nonetheless, Simon liked Blaze, and he was glad she liked him, too.

"You know, Simon," Suddenly, Anna was talking to him, and he focused his attention to her instead, "Blaze really, really liked you. She still does. Even though you don't remember her, she remembers everything about you. You can take the memory out of Simon but you can't take Simon out of the memory." She smiled at him, and the blonde slowly nodded, processing what she had just said.

_You can take the memory out of Simon, but you can't take Simon out of the memory._

Huh. Simon supposed she was right. Even though past Simon was gone, the memories of him still existed. He just hoped he could be just as good as past Simon. The Simon everyone loved so much.

Then, Simon opened his mouth to say something he thought was against his own _programming_ : "What was past Simon like?" The question surprised him himself, and it had come from his own mouth. Did he even register what he was going to say before he said it?

"Blaze! Come here, girl! It's time to eat!" Luna called from the kitchen, distracting both Simon and Anna for a brief moment. Blaze looked up and pranced away from Simon, trotting into the kitchen to enjoy her meal.

Anna turned to the blonde again, her eyes widened and mouth agape in shock. She took a moment to register what she wanted to say. What was she even supposed to tell him? That past Simon was better than the one standing in front of her? No, that wasn't true. This was still _their_ Simon. But every memory that he knew was gone. They just needed a way to bring him back, to remind Simon who he really _is._ "Well..." Anna hesitated before her eyes fell on a photo hanging on Luna's wall. Anna wasn't all for photos, but this one was one of her favorites. It was simply just her, Luna, and Simon. She had forgotten when they had taken it, but then again, it really didn't matter. "The Simon I knew was caring, compassionate, and loyal... He always was willing to do the right thing, no matter what had to be done. He would risk his life to save the ones he cared for, and he did." She laughed at that, but Simon didn't quite understand what she meant. "The Simon I knew... He would always follow what he believed in, and would do what needed to be done. He loved his family and friends and would go to the end of the world and back for them. And again, technically, he did... I still remember how terrified you looked when Markus ran away that morning.

"Markus ran away?" Of course, Simon had many other questions, but this one he wanted to know the answer to the most. "Why would he run away?"

"Oh..." Anna paused, fidgeting with her hands and trying to find an acceptable answer. "It's a really long story. Let's just say Markus had it in his head that there was some sort of alternate reality, a reality he could be truly happy in... And he ran away to try and find it."

"Why would he think that?" It had just now occurred to Simon that there was a lot of events that happened in Markus's life that he was not aware of. It shouldn't have bothered him like it did.

The female android sighed, and looked out the window with the curtains draped just slightly. "He had a dream."

"A dream?"

Anna caught herself and turned back to Simon, her mind racing to find something to say. "No, I mean like an _actual_ dream. He thought it was an actual universe he could try to find and live in. He didn't really understand the concept at first. He traveled all around the world, meeting new people and trying to find that place... And you followed him. You wanted to bring him home."

"But androids can't... Dream, can they?" Simon pointed out, even more questions adding on to the ones he had before.

Anna hesitated. She couldn't tell Simon that androids were free and were becoming a little more human everyday. He may go deviant, run away and it would take quite a while to find him again. "I think... I should answer your questions sometime later, okay?"

The blonde simply nodded, not very thrilled on being turned down. He couldn't protest though, even if this was an android, he wasn't programmed to push someone into telling him something they didn't want to say. "Alright," he simply replied, facing away so he could survey the living room again.

There wasn't much to see. Luna was never really home, so she didn't ever really properly decorate. In the living room, there was only a couch, a reclining chair, pictures framed and hanged on the wall, a flat screen TV, and a few game consoles with the games stacked neatly on table.

When Simon turned to look at the front door, though, he suddenly froze in place and found he could not move. He knew what this was, he had experienced it many times before. _A flashback._ As his vision started fading into another image and his systems began to glitch out, Simon came to a sudden realisation. What if the flashback was like the last one he had in Markus's office? No, he tried reassuring himself, Markus wouldn't do something like _that_ in Luna's house. Besides, Simon was sure Markus hadn't even been here himself. He took a deep breath and tried his best to calm himself. Simon wasn't sure what he would do if he had another flashback like that. He didn't think he could handle the guilt of not telling Markus, even if he didn't have to.

_"Thanks for letting me stay here while Markus, North, and Josh are out on that business trip," Simon thanked Luna and Anna, walking into the house and closing the door once they were all inside. Blaze immediately jumped from her spot on the couch to greet Simon. She circled around his leg and flicked her tail until Simon leaned down to give her the attention she so rightfully deserved._

_"No problem," Luna casually responded, walking into the kitchen to pour herself something to drink. "Anything I can get you, Simon?" she asked, taking a sip of her water and looking over to Simon curiously_ _._

_The blonde shook his head, standing back up with the tabby cat now in his arms. "No, it's alright. I don't technically need to eat." He continued to pet Blaze as she purred happily in his grasp._

_"Why didn't you go with them anyway, Simon?" Anna asked, settling onto the couch and reaching for the remote that controlled the TV._

_Simon shrugged and sat on the couch as well, opposite of Anna's side. Blaze was now making herself comfortable in Simon's lap, her tail flicking every time he pet her. "Oh. I didn't want to be a bother, that's all. Markus tried to convince me to go, but I know this is a big thing for him and I didn't want to mess anything up. I promised him I would go next meeting. Besides, just between us, those meetings are really boring," he laughed, thinking about what Markus may be doing right now. Hell, they haven't even been apart for an hour and Simon already missed him like crazy. He figured he should call him soon (Even though him and Markus could telepathically communicate, there was a limit on how far they could be to talk to each other through their minds. That's why Markus, Simon, North, and Josh all owned cell phones, in case they were ever too far away to communicate telepathically. They also used them for other things, such as trying out "social media". But they all found out pretty quickly that social media just wasn't their thing)._

_Anna smiled at Simon and watched Luna come from the kitchen and sit in front of the TV_ _. "Your secret is safe with us, Simon."_

_Luna proceeded to turn on her game console and grab a controller, turning back to Anna with a spare in hand. "You want to play?" she asked, eyes flickering over to Simon for a brief instant._

_The female android shook her head, declining Luna's offer._

_The police officer directed her attention to Simon then, holding out the controller in his direction. "You wanna play with me? We can play any game you'd like."_

_Simon looked up in surprise, Blaze continuing to rub against his hand. He knew Luna was asking him to play a video game with her, but he didn't know if he should accept or not. He had seen humans play games, on computers, their phones, and even on consoles like Luna was about to do. But Simon had never actually played himself. He never really saw any reason to. "I, uhm... I've never really played a game on a console before..." he muttered, as if it was some sort of secret._

_Luna shrugged and gestured Simon to come over and sit by her. "That's alright. I'll teach you. Besides, you can just look up how the game works yourself, can't you?"_

_"I could, but... Are you sure?"_

_The officer turned back around and flashed Simon a smile, looking over to Anna who was smiling as well. "Oh, yeah. I'm positive. Come on, Simon. It'll be fun. But don't be too surprised when I kick your ass at this game."_

_Anna rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Ha, please. I win everytime we play together," she stated, raising an eyebrow and glancing at Luna smugly._

_"You win sometimes, not all the time!" Luna countered back._

_"What game will we be playing anyway?" Simon asked, looking to both Anna and Luna in curiosity._

_Luna faced back towards the TV, holding the controller firmly in her hands as the game started up. "Smash Bros. Anna and I always play together_ _. But if you want a chance to play, Simon, you better hurry it up over here."_

_The blonde hesitated before he turned to Anna, who was gesturing him to join Luna. Should he...? He never really played before, he didn't even think he would be good at it. Simon did a quick research scan of the game Luna named, and immediately a flood of information was given to him to remember. It didn't seem that bad of a game... "Okay," Simon gave in, gently removing Blaze from his lap and settling beside Luna. He glanced up at the TV, which displayed the game's main screen._

_Luna suddenly handed Simon the spare controller without any word and looked up at the TV herself, getting the game ready for them to play. It was strange, Simon will admit, about to play a video game meant for humans. He knew he was free now, he was able to say and do whatever a human could do without much restraints. Simon was just still trying to grasp the concept of being free._

_"Do you want me to teach you how to p_ _l̷̠͒â̷̫y̴̝̆,̵͙͂ ̴̤̑S̶̲͛ỉ̴̢m̴̟̅ỏ̸͜n̵͇͊?̴̲͐ ̵̝̃"̴̘͘_

Simon blinked, slowly processing what he had seen. Well, it wasn't an explicit flashback like the last one had been, so he was relieved about that. It had been a simple flashback of him, Luna, and Anna simply hanging out. He was just now realizing just exactly how close Anna and Luna were with him in his past life. How had he not noticed that the two were just as hurt and upset about it as Markus was? North and Josh, too. Was Simon really that absorbed with Markus that he didn't even realize how his other friends felt?

"Hey, Simon, are you all right?" Anna was gently nudging him, looking at him with a concerned expression. Simon had been spaced out for a good five minutes, completely silent and not looking at anything in particular.

Luna wiped her hands on her jeans, not rubbing off anything in particular. She watched Blaze for a short moment before her attention was directed to Simon and Anna. There he was again, dazed out and frozen. Luna had seen Simon do this a few times, the first being when Simon was first powered on. Then, there was that time at the police station, but Simon seemed to have a negative reaction at that time. Now Simon had done it once again, but he didn't seem to have any sort of reaction to it. He simply looked up and blinked a few times, surveying his surroundings as if he was in a different place. Anna asked if he was okay, and the blonde just gave a simple nod.

The investigation on Simon had been nothing but stress for Luna. They didn't manage to get anything out of Derek Glover on how to recover an android's memory. Mostly because he didn't know _how_ _._ At least, that was the story he told everyone, anyway. Regardless, Luna's sleep schedule was a mess and she couldn't even remember the last time she properly shut her eyes. And it wasn't like her insomnia was of much help, either. But that didn't really matter much to Luna. All she wanted was her friend back, and sleep was only going to get in the way.

Anna had offered to take on Luna's work herself. Anna didn't need sleep, and she could diligently work without being bothered. While Luna appreciated the offer and all, this was something she absolutely _needed_ to do herself. Investigations like these rarely caught Luna's attention; most of them were the same old thing like robberies or murders. But this was something much more, this was _Simon,_ one of her closest friends and in a way, she felt at fault for what had happened to him. If she had watched over Simon instead of Markus that night, would _their_ Simon still be there with them?

No. No, this _was_ their Simon. Even if he couldn't remember who he was, this was still their Simon.

Forcing herself away from her thoughts, she exited the kitchen and approached Simon and Anna. "Alright, that's the last time I'm going to have to feed Blaze today. Are you two ready to go?" she asked, observing Simon's still rather confused position. What exactly was happening when Simon was spaced out like that?

Anna nodded and started for the front door. "Yes, Luna. Do you have the key?" she asked, bending down to pet Blaze one final time before standing up straight again. She looked over at Simon for a brief moment, only to find that he hadn't moved. Of course, Luna had to tell him to leave before he actually did it.

Luna followed Anna's gaze and groaned. "Hey, Simon. Let's go. We're leaving." She rolled her eyes and said goodbye to Blaze before walking out of the door. "Make sure you lock it, Anna!"

Anna sighed and gestured to the door, moving out of Simon's way so he could go through. She waved to Blaze and blew her a kiss before locking the door and shutting it behind her.

The RK600 couldn't figure out why Simon was spaced out like that. She had tried to get his attention for a full five minutes but he didn't budge at all. They weren't getting any closer to trying to find out how to restore an android's memory. Anna had remained enthusiastic, always telling Luna and Markus that they were getting one step closer every day. But of course, that was the opposite. They hadn't found out anything new since the day Simon was first powered back on. Anna tried to remain hopeful, but the chances of their Simon coming back weren't looking too good.

Still, Simon never gave up. He always did what he had to to get the job done. Mark her words, Anna was going to get Simon back. Whatever it took, she was going to get him back.

~~~

A couple of days had passed ever since Simon went with Anna and Luna to feed Luna's cat. Simon had gotten better at controlling himself around Markus, and he no longer made up stupid excuses to get away from him. Simon was even able to tell Markus about the flashback he had at Luna's place. Simon couldn't be around Markus for long before he felt like snapping, but he could at least have a short conversation with him.

Markus seemed slightly happier ever since Simon stopped avoiding him. But still, he wasn't completely satisfied and Simon was determined to change that. But... Maybe he would change it when he had gotten over that explicit flashback.

With Simon not spending much time with Markus anymore, he had time to hang around North and Josh as well. North and Josh _never_ got along. They always had different opinions on everything. They argued over the best TV show, they argued over the best places to visit in Detroit, and what confused Simon the most of all, was when they argued about who was top or bottom: Markus or Simon. What did that even mean?

Simon didn't dwell on it. He felt like he should look up what being a "top" or "bottom" meant but he figured he didn't even want to know. Should he ask Luna? No, she was too busy and would probably laugh at him for not knowing. Anna? She probably wouldn't know either. What about Markus? Yes, Simon decided he may ask Markus someday.

The blonde was still working for Luna every day, doing any task she ordered him to do. Luna had told him many times that Simon didn't have to do anything, and that he should live his own life. But Simon couldn't do that. If he lived his own life, he would be a deviant. And he wasn't a deviant. He wasn't going to be powered off and reset again.

One day, though, when Luna was at work and instructed to "do his own thing" (which he couldn't do, so he just stood around all day), North and Josh invited him out to shop with them. Simon couldn't go "shopping" since he was an android and didn't necessarily need anything. But he didn't see any harm in accompanying the two while they shopped.

Besides, it gave him another excuse to get away from Markus. Simon liked- no, he couldn't like anything. Simon was _fond_ of Markus, and he didn't like when he strayed away from him. And even though it had been weeks, Simon just couldn't get over that flashback. He couldn't get over wanting Markus to touch him-

Wait. Want? No, no. That was wrong. Simon couldn't _want_ anything. And he certainly could not _want_ Markus to touch him like _that._

What was wrong with him? He shouldn't be behaving like this. He was an _android._ Made to follow _human_ orders. Simon was made for sexual activities, but certainly not with other _androids._ What was his past self thinking? Simon knew he was smarter than who he was in the past. After all, _that_ Simon was reset _because_ he was a deviant, right? Yes, that's right. It was why that Derek Glover reset him. Because he had misbehaved and deviated. Wanting to participate in sexual activities with Markus? How ridicul-

"Simon! Hey, I'm talking to you!"

Simon forced himself out of his thoughts and blinked a few times as if coming out of a flashback. Right, he was downtown with North and Josh "shopping". Simon didn't find looking at clothes very interesting, so he spaced out a few times.

He turned to North who had called his name and saw her holding up two dresses. "Yes, North?"

"Which one of these looks more professional? I have a meeting to go to with Markus tomorrow and he always complains that I never dress nice. What a joke." North rolled her eyes and sighed. "So, Simon, what do you think?"

Oh, that wasn't good. Simon was being asked to give his _opinion._ But that was the problem. Simon didn't _have_ an opinion. He couldn't have one at all. What was he supposed to say? Well, North should understand, right?

"Oh..." Simon drifted off, looking for Josh so he could help. North should ask his opinion instead. After all, they were both deviant and had free will. That made Simon wonder, when would they be reset because they deviated? Simon hesitated, not able to find Josh anywhere. "North, I think they both would look fantastic on you."

North scoffed and rolled her eyes. She held the items out in front of her so Simon could get an even better look. "Well, _that's_ obvious. But I need one that looks the most professional. Come on, Simon, you went shopping sprees with me all the time and told me what to get. Help me now. Please?"

Simon absolutely hated being put on the spot like that. What should he say? He couldn't tell North what he thought. It wasn't in his program. He couldn't think about something in a certain way.

"The white one, North," Josh stated, suddenly coming up from behind Simon with a bundle of clothes in his hand. Mostly casual clothes, but Simon could spot a tie or two. "The bright blue one is too distracting."

North groaned, looking over the blue dress and the white one once more. "Yeah, but I want Simon to decide! He always made the best decisions in choosing out my clothes!"

Josh shook his head and took the blue dress from North, hanging it back up on the rack. "Yes, that may be true but you forget: This isn't _our_ Simon. This is android Simon. He can't choose for you because you're asking him his _opinion._ Which he doesn't have."

Simon was thankful Josh had come to his rescue. He didn't want to tell North that he couldn't choose for her. It would most likely hurt her feelings. But, in a way, Simon was a little offended. What did Josh mean " _our Simon_ "?! Who he is now is much better than the past Simon, right? Past Simon was reset for a reason!

And now he was getting upset over who was better: Him or a past Simon. He really should contact Cyberlife so they can detect if anything was wrong with his biocomponents.

North huffed and pushed past Josh, upset that he was completely and totally right. She flung the dress over her arm, using her other hand to balance it on her hip. "Okay, well, thanks and all, but are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Do you want me to pay or are you going to?" North asked as she walked over to the checkout counter.

Josh started to follow, taking the dress from her arm and adding it to his own bundle of clothes. "I'll go ahead and pay. You go pay attention to Simon. Speaking of that, did you get him anything? I'm so sick and tired of seeing him in that same outfit he escaped Jericho in."

North laughed and shook her head, looking over her shoulder to find Simon following shortly behind. Surely, he wouldn't understand what they were referring to. And besides, it wasn't like he could judge them. "No, Simon was always too picky. I mean, I'm pretty sure he'll wear anything as long sleeves are involved."

Simon looked down at his outfit, only to find that he was wearing the same thing he had on since he was powered on. And worst of all, it wasn't a PL600 uniform. Simon couldn't keep wandering around like this! Someone might think he was deviant!

He also couldn't understand why people were always talking about him. Especially when he was _right_ there in listening range. Yeah, perhaps their past Simon was better, but he was still technically... That past Simon. Just with a whole different personality. And much more obedient. They were basically the same, right?

Oh, now he was kidding himself. Everyone liked past Simon better. Luna, Anna, Josh, North, _Markus..._ They all wanted that Simon back. And if he could bring that Simon back... Would it make them all happy?

Now he was thinking about utter nonsense. He couldn't go back to who he was before. In order to do that, he would have to go against his program and break his code. He would have to _go deviant._ And that was the last thing he was going to do.

He watched North come back in his direction while Josh paid for their items. She stood next to him and crossed her arms, looking at him with a smug smile.

"You know, before... Me and you used to shop all the time together. I would ask you which outfit looked best, and you gave your honest opinion each time... And then I would beg you to wear something different for once every time, but... You always refused." North trailed off, or, Simon thought she did.

He couldn't be quite sure because every sound around him was turning to static. His sensors were overloading, and his eyes were trying to put together a glitchy image. Simon knew what this was. Another flashback. He looked over at North, whose mouth was still moving but all Simon could hear was static.

The blonde sighed and closed his eyes for a brief moment, hoping it wouldn't be an _explicit_ flashback. When he opened his eyes again, the glitchy image was put together, and another flashback was laid out before his eyes.

_North was putting clothing after clothing into Simon's arms, using him as some sort of cart. She would inspect the clothes for a couple of seconds, ask Simon what he thought, and then would add to the pile on his arms. Simon didn't mind, he loved shopping with North and Josh, even if he never got anything for himself._

_Simon didn't really see the point. Sure, it's been months since androids were granted free rights. No android had to wear uniforms, and they could wear whatever they desired. And yeah, maybe wearing the same thing every day could get boring, but Simon didn't want to change. The only time he wasn't wearing this outfit was when he was out during a meeting (Markus always forced him to wear a tuxedo) or when he and Markus were-_

_Nope, nevermind. He wasn't going to go there. He was out in public and would much appreciate it if he didn't get turned on, thank you._

_Regardless, Simon tried changing into something new, anything Markus, North, or Josh suggested, but he couldn't find anything he liked yet. Maybe he would try wearing different jackets and hoodies. After all, he liked those._

_One time, he even tried on Markus's coat, the one he wore when he led androids to freedom. And although Simon thought it looked rather nice, he found that it would cause him to get pinned against the wall by Markus and-_

_No. Simon, no. You are not here to fantasize about your lover. You are here to shop with North and Josh. Simon scolded himself again, he wasn't supposed to be thinking about that. He was supposed to be enjoying himself with his friends. Well, it wasn't like he didn't enjoy thinking about Markus, but he would rather be alone to do that._

_"Hey, Simon!" North's voice broke Simon out of his thoughts, and he looked over to her. North was holding up a pair of jeans and a pair of tights, looking them both over before presenting them to Simon. "Which one would look better with this shirt?" she asked, suddenly pulling a purple blouse from the rack._

_Simon adjusted the clothes in his arms and looked over the items. He imagined how they would look on North, and then gestured to the jeans. "The jeans. They would look nice with that shade of purple."_

_North glanced at the jeans and then at the blouse, looking at Simon with reluctant eyes. "Really? Because the tights are black and black and purple go really well togeth-"_

_"North, the tights ride your ass. Trust me on this one and get the jeans. I know you were made to be a sex toy, but do you really wanna walk around looking like one?" Simon raised a brow and took the jeans from her._

_North snickered and rolled her eyes, handing Simon the blouse and putting the tights back on the rack. "Yeah, you're right. I'm going for a casual look, not a slutty look. Thanks, Simon."_

_No one was really used to hearing Simon swear or to be straight up direct like that. People like Markus and Josh found it rather strange, but North loved when Simon's badass side came out. It showed he wasn't just a shy, nervous android who occasionally expressed his opinion. Sure, Simon was quiet and was a follower more than a leader. But Simon didn't take shit from anyone, and he showed that side to North more than anyone else._

_Josh suddenly appeared from the men's side of the store, his hands in his pockets_ _. He glanced over at Simon, whose hands were full of North's clothes. Typical. Simon didn't get anything for himself. Josh sighed and decided not to argue with Simon about it. "You two ready to go?"_

_North nodded and started to pull Simon towards the checkout aisle, but he hung back._

_"Are you not getting anything either, Josh?" he asked, still resisting North as she tried to pull him away._

_Josh shook his head, gesturing to North and smiling. "No, you should go with North, though. I was trying to find a tie that I could wear at the formal gathering Markus is holding in a few weeks... But I have enough. I'm fine."_

_Still resisting North and her pleads to make Simon follow her, Simon held back and thought for a moment_ _. "Go get yourself a dark purple tie. One of the short ones. Purple is a good color on you and the short ones are less of a hassle to tie." he concluded, finally letting North drag him away._

_Josh laughed and watched North drag Simon to the checkout desk. He considered what Simon had said and decided to go through with it. He turned around and wandered back over to the tie section. After all, Simon always did make the best decisions._

_Meanwhile, North was rushing Simon to get to the checkout counter faster_ _. But if he went any faster, he may drop the clothing in his arms. He groaned and tried to pull out of North's grasp, but she had a tight grip on his arm. Finally, they had reached the desk and Simon could set down the clothing that was overflowing in his arms._

_He took a sigh of relief and adjusted his sleeves, looking around to find Josh in the tie section. Simon smiled, glad that his friend had taken up on his suggestion. He wasn't smiling for long, though, because North suddenly groaned and shoved him gently to get his attention._

_"Hey, let's go. I'm done. And could you help me carry all this out,_ _Si_ _m̸̦͠ȏ̴̪n̶͎̈́?̷͍͑ ̴̝͝P̵͖̓l̷͚ę̸́a̸̢̽s̸͍̒è̵̫?̸̡͊"̵̣͒_

"Simon. What the fuck? Are you okay?"

"Simon, bud. Are you alright? Is something wrong?"

North's and Josh's voices pulled him out this time, and Simon blinked rapidly. He was used to how flashbacks started, when his systems glitched and his vision faded, but he couldn't get used to when coming out of a flashback. It was as if being forced out of sleep mode, and he absolutely _hated_ how long it took for his systems to get back into working order.

Simon ran his hands through his hair as if trying to put it back in place, even though it was already neat before. He nodded shied away from North's and Josh's worried looks. He was fine, but it was pretty obvious they wanted to know why he was spaced out like that. But Simon wouldn't tell them. Well, he wouldn't tell them until he told Markus _first._

"I'm okay," he confirmed, glancing at the two suddenly and finding the shopping bags hanging from their arms. They must be done then. Even so, they wouldn't stop looking at Simon and exchanging confused looks with each other. "I'm _fine_ ," he stated a bit more firmly, taking a breath before speaking again. "I see you two are done. Is there anything else you would like to do today?" he asked a bit more calmly.

North slowly shook her head and gave one final glance at Simon before turning and heading for the exit. "No, you just need to make dinner tonight for us. Oh, and can you make lasagna? You're kickass at making that, Simon."

Josh nodded in agreement and opened the door for Simon and North to head out of. He followed shortly behind, dodging pedestrians on the crowded street and walking with Simon and North. "Yeah, still can't believe someone made a song about lasagna."

North laughed at that and adjusted the shopping bags in her hands. "Haha, yeah! That was pretty funny. That song was a bop, though, not gonna lie."

A song about... Lasagna? It took a while for Simon to understand a lot of things North, Josh, Markus, Luna, and Anna said but... He didn't think he could _ever_ understand a song about a food item. He wasn't even going to ask. He didn't even want to look up the song.

Regardless, Simon enjoyed himself today. He spent most of his day assisting Luna and hanging around Markus that he never had the time to get to know people like North and Josh. They were fun to hang around with, and Simon was surprised they went five minutes without fighting about something. Must've been some sort of record.

He enjoyed himself, yes. But he was ecstatic to get home to Markus and tell him about the day, to tell him about the flashback. Perhaps he could _finally_ control himself around Markus. Perhaps.

~~~

Simon didn't avoid Markus anymore at all. He thought it was childish, to run away from another android over a flashback that most likely occurred ages ago. He was able to maintain himself around Markus now. He could be alone with him upon hours and hours and just talk with him without freaking out once.

For the most part, Simon was glad. Because for the past few weeks, he had made it so that he spent a considerable amount of time with everyone. During the day, he worked and talked with Luna and Anna at the police station. After they got off of work, he would hang around North and Josh and listen to their senseless arguing. And at night, he would spend time with Markus, when all his work was done as well.

Whenever Simon went to talk with Markus, it always occurred in Markus's room. Sure enough, as he expected, the painting he saw in his flashback of him and Markus was hanging above Markus's bed. But when Simon went to talk to Markus, Markus became rather _touchy_.

He would sometimes hold Simon's hand or just get a little too close. One time, he even asked Simon if he would lay with him, and Simon happily agreed. So, sometimes, they slept together through the night. Did Simon regret it in the morning? Absolutely. He wasn't supposed to be showing that kind of affection to other androids. But that guilt faded away when he found Markus next to him every morning. It made him... _Happy._

Markus even went as far as doing things similar to that flashback. The one Simon never stopped thinking about. Markus would whisper small things into his ear like "I miss you so much..." and "Even now, you're so good for me...". Oh, did it almost cause Simon's biocomponents to short circuit and did it make him _hot._ Simon hated that he got so flustered around Markus like that. His face would become tinted with dark blue in seconds if Markus did so little as touch him. Why was he that way?

But he didn't want Markus to stop. Simon couldn't want anything, that he knew. But he also knew that Markus was something special to him.

One night, Markus even went as far as touching the inside of his thigh and slipping his hands under his shirt. Of course, Simon didn't have a problem with it, and his touches felt _good._ But his LED started spinning red, which indicates an android feels in danger or the android is alert. And no, Simon never felt in danger around Markus, he was just _so_ incredibly flustered and nervous.

Markus couldn't see that, though, and once he saw Simon's LED spinning red, he quickly pulled away. Simon couldn't understand why Markus felt so bad, he _liked_ what was happening (But he could never admit to that). Markus apologized and apologized, and Simon said that he was perfectly fine. He didn't feel endangered in any way and even went as far as telling Markus he felt safe around him. It wasn't a lie, far from it, but it slipped out of his mouth and he was just trying to make Markus feel better.

Even still, Markus said what he was doing was wrong and promised not to do it again. Oh, did Simon hate that promise. Simon couldn't retaliate, though, and just went along with whatever Markus wanted.

Simon still talked with Markus during the nights, but Markus made sure to keep his distance. Simon wasn't very fond of that decision.

One day, though, Markus informed Simon about a dinner that was really important to him. Apparently, the people from the police station, Lieutenant Anderson and Connor, were going to attend. And Markus informed Simon on other individuals, three androids by the names of Kara, Alice, and Luther. Markus seemed ecstatic about the dinner and Simon was in charge of preparing the meal. Since Markus was so anxious about that night, Simon was determined to make it a good one. He wouldn't let Markus down.

The night of the dinner was certainly a busy one. While Simon was occupied preparing the food, North and Josh had to clean the mansion to make it look spotless. Luna and Anna offered to help, but Markus just brushed them off and said all they had to do was enjoy themselves tonight. Markus was gone the majority of the day, said he had to go pick someone up from the airport.

It was apparently just supposed to be a get-together. A casual event where everyone just talked and ate. Simon wouldn't be doing much of that, though. Once he finished cooking, which Luna had instructed him to do, he would just stand by Luna's side the rest of the night.

Simon wasn't sure how to feel about the upcoming event. Sure, he would be meeting new people and talking with his other friends. But Simon was there to _take orders._ Not to enjoy himself.

The blonde was setting the table thinking about the night when Markus suddenly arrived with his guests. Turns out, they were the three Markus had mentioned before.

Kara, an AX400 android. She didn't look like other AX400s, her hair was cut shorter but it still sported the same color. AX400s were basically an upgraded version of PL600s, for they both have the same purpose, but AX400s have more functions. Kara seemed like one of the kindest people Simon has met to date. She greeted him with a wide smile and hug and said "Oh, Markus! Is this your boyfriend Simon you told me so much about?"

Markus laughed and then pulled Kara to the side to tell her something in private. When they came back, Kara looked rather distraught and Markus seemed slightly more nervous.

Boyfriend? Well, Simon had already expected it, but Kara had confirmed his theory: He and Markus were together in his past life. Oh... That's why Markus seemed so hurt and acted more lovingly to him. And Simon didn't know why, but being referred to as "Markus's boyfriend" made him feel _good_ _._

The other android was a child android, her name was Alice and she was a YK500. Simon was somewhat thrilled to see Alice since he hadn't been able to interact with many children since he had been powered on. Taking care of children was one of his many functions. And although it was part of his job, he loved making kids happy and caring for them. Alice was a quiet little girl, and she stuck very close to Kara's and Luther's sides.

The last android was a TR400 who they called Luther. And Luther was _tall._ Kara looked like a twig compared to Luther's size and height. But regardless of his appearance, Simon found out rather quickly that Luther was a very caring android. When Alice wasn't huddled close to him or Kara, she would be perched on top of Luther's shoulders.

Simon thought it was all adorable. Even though they were all deviant, they were a _family._ They cared for each other and looked after one another.

The blonde wasn't sure how Markus had met these three, but he couldn't stick around long enough to find out. Markus had offered a tour of the mansion, and he was rather excited to show them his paintings. Simon knew it was wrong, but he felt sort of _jealous_ that Markus was spending all his time with these three and not leaving any time for him. Oh, and now he was being greedy. Markus didn't belong to him. Simon couldn't own anything.

Shortly after Kara, Alice, and Luther arrived, Lieutenant Anderson and Connor followed suit. Simon wasn't sure why Markus had held this gathering. Perhaps it was just to spend time with distant friends. After all, Simon didn't even know about the three other androids until they showed up.

Once Lieutenant Anderson and Connor appeared, Simon offered to take their jackets. Lieutenant Anderson, who Simon learned to call Hank, took upon Simon's offer, but Connor did not. Since Markus wasn't here to greet the two, Simon figured he should do it himself.

After Hank and Connor were directed to the dining area, Luna approached Simon and told him to start making plates for everyone. Simon happily obligated, and a few minutes later, he heard everyone in the dining room laughing and talking amongst themselves. In a way, Simon felt sort of... Left out.

He then reminded himself that tonight was not about him. It was mostly about Markus and everyone else in that dining room waiting for him. Simon didn't matter. He was just an _object,_ and soon, they would be done using him.

"Hey, Simon!" He suddenly heard North call out to him. "Are you done yet? We're waiting for you!"

The blonde sighed and started carrying out the food, plastering on a fake smile once he was out of the self-opening doors. And thus, a long night started for Simon, one that seemed impossible for him to forget.

~~~

A couple of hours into the night and all Simon had done was stand by Luna's side awaiting any orders. Throughout the whole night, though, Simon could not stop staring at Markus. He couldn't help it. All he wanted was this night to be over so he could go upstairs with Markus and talk. Talk about everything, talk about nothing.

But Markus hadn't paid much attention to Simon. He didn't talk to him at all during the day and he only flashed small smiles at Simon every once in a while. Well, it was better than nothing. Markus's smile could light up his whole day.

Markus would sometimes ask Kara about life in Canada, and she would always go on and on about how welcoming the country was. Markus would ask Hank, Anna, Luna, and Connor how investigations were going, and Luna would just shoot him a dirty look.

"You know _exactly_ how investigations are going, Markus." She would then gesture to Simon and sigh.

Anna would laugh it off, but it was clearly fake. She was trying to lighten the mood, and she told Luna to calm down. Anna thought no one could hear her, but Simon could. Luna must've been stressed about some sort of investigation. Simon wondered what it was.

Connor would just reply with a "I always accomplish my mission, Markus. No matter what."

Then it was Hank's turn to laugh, but this laugh was genuine. He would look at Connor as if he was an idiot and continue to laugh. "Right. Just like you 'completed your mission' when you were told to capture Markus."

Connor would then look away, clearly embarrassed. "That was an exception..." he would mutter.

Wait, capture Markus? What did that mean? Was Connor trying to... Take Markus away? That wouldn't make any sense, he and Connor seemed like friends. Did Connor try to apprehend Markus in the past? Well, if he did, Simon wasn't very fond of Connor already.

Connor and Kara got together sometime in the night and had a small talk. Simon couldn't hear much but he could hear Connor apologizing about "chasing Kara down a highway" a while back. Wow. This Connor guy had something against nearly everyone in this room. Or, he _had_ something against most of them.

North and Josh, of course, continued to fight and bicker about the smallest things. Not much of the arguments caught Simon's attention, but the one where they were arguing over the "cutest couple" attracted him. Apparently, they were fighting over Simon and Markus and Luther and Kara.

Kara and Luther were embarrassed out of their minds, they wouldn't talk or look at each other for a while. Markus just hid his face in his hands and groaned. Simon stood there silently next to Luna and raised a brow. He tried catching Markus's eye, but he wouldn't look in Simon's direction _at all._

It was a strange night. Simon didn't feel like himself and he felt like Markus was _ignoring_ him. Oh, well. He was probably just stressed about wanting to make this night perfect for Markus.

Hank and Luna were always cracking jokes that only seemed funny to them. Connor and Anna would exchange confused looks every time they made a joke that only appealed to them. Anna even went as far as taking Luna's beverage, which was making her intoxicated. Connor left Hank be, not daring to bother him while he was drunk.

Anna kept trying to drag Luna to her room, telling her that she was going to have a hangover in the morning. Luna would just respond with a groan and telling Anna to let her go. _At least she isn't a violent drunk_ , Simon thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Alice would sometimes stare at Simon from across the room in curiosity. When Kara and Luther were distracted with talking to each other or someone else, she would occasionally scurry over to Simon and stare at him from a closer distance. She even said something to him: "You seem lonely."

Simon gave a small laugh and smiled down at Alice. "No, I'm quite alright, Alice. But you seem bored. Would you like to play a game?"

Alice nodded and gave a wide smile.

And then, for the past hour, Simon played Hide and Seek with Alice until she was tired. Sure, she was an android, but she still had human features that made her seem more like a human. Alice had fallen asleep hiding from Simon, and when he finally found her, he carried her gently back to Kara and Luther.

The whole time he could feel Markus's eyes on him. Looking at him with love and totally spacing out from the conversation he was having with North. Simon was tempted to look back, to give him a small smile, but Kara had started up a conversation with him already. He couldn't blow off someone as sweet as her.

Kara asked him if he remembered her, and she mentioned that she saw him on the ship Jericho. The name rung a bell, Simon had overheard androids talking about it all the time. It was even mentioned once in a flashback. Simon was disappointed to see that he couldn't even remember her. But Simon couldn't remember anything about who he was back then. All he knew was the Kara he was talking to now.

When Simon had finished talking to Kara, he looked around for Luna, for he didn't know what else to do. He found her passed out on the couch, Anna sitting next to her and talking with Connor, who was still standing up. He looked around the room farther, and found Josh trying to talk to a drunk Hank, who just kept going on about how "shitty politics were". Luther was holding a sleeping Alice in the corner, while North and Kara were talking about other things. And then there was Markus, who was just steadily watching Simon from afar.

It confused Simon. Markus had nearly ignored him all evening, and now here he was. Watching Simon like he was a God himself. Simon decided he was going to strike up a conversation with Markus for the first time tonight. Luna was asleep and couldn't give any orders, so now Simon would have absolutely nothing to do.

Just as Simon was about to walk over to Markus, he froze and wasn't able to move. Static started to slowly cloud his hearing, his vision fading into glitching images. _Great._ A flashback, out of all times. Simon wasn't going to try to force himself out of it, he just hoped it went by quick.

And then a flashback, a realization, was displayed out in front of Simon's eyes.

_Markus, Simon, Josh, and North always ate dinner together. They would talk about small things, sometimes would discuss how meetings would go or how Markus's paintings were turning out_ _. Simon liked dinner time. He was able to associate with his friends and lover, even if he didn't talk much. It just felt nice to be included._

_What Markus didn't tell everyone, though, was that he had some sort of announcement to make. It was an announcement that embarrassed Simon, but one that he loved just the same._

_They were talking about human sports at the time, and Simon noticed that Markus had suddenly gone quiet. He turned to his lover with worried eyes and whispered to him. "Markus? Are you alright? You haven't been talking much lately..."_

_Markus cleared his throat and nodded, taking Simon's hand and giving a soft kiss on the top of his hand. He sighed and looked up at Simon with devilish eyes, a smirk growing on his face. "Don't hate me," he whispered back, intertwining his fingers with Simon's and suddenly standing up._

_"Huh? Markus, what-" Simon's words were cut off because Markus had forced Simon on his feet as well. He glanced at Markus and then over at North and Josh, who were looking at them with pure confusion. Simon just gave them a nervous smile, for he didn't know what was happening either._

_Markus gave a small laugh and suddenly pulled Simon closer to him, holding him firmly by the waist. "As you both know, Simon and I are madly in love," he stated, watching Simon's face go from pale to blue within seconds._

_"Markus..." he muttered, tugging at his shirt as if that was him begging for him to stop._

_North snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's pretty obvious_ _. We don't have thick walls, Markus."_

_Markus shot North a death glare, ignoring her statement. He continued talking while holding Simon as close as he possibly could. "Well, today is me and Simon's six month. We've been together for half a year now."_

_Josh raised his water glass as if making a toast. "Congrats," he said, taking a drink and looking over at North as if saying "I still have no idea what is going on"._

_Simon was still trying to hide himself in Markus's neck, gripping onto his shirt as if his life depended on it. Of course, Simon knew it was their six month, but did Markus really have to announce it? It wasn't anything special! And why did Markus have to make him stand up? He could be sitting down and hiding his face in his hands at the table instead of standing up and being exposed._

_Markus pressed a reassuring kiss to Simon's temple (which embarrassed him even more) and gave a small laugh. "Yes, thank you, Josh. Anyway, I inform of you two of this so you won't have any noise complaints in the morning."_

_North crossed her arms and raised her brow. "And what does that mean?"_

_"Oh, just saying it's a very special night. Me and Simon need to celebrate. And every time we 'celebrate' together, both of you always have noise complaints in the morning. So, I decided to warn you both ahead of time," Markus explained, returning North's sarcastic look with a smug one._

_Josh nearly choked on the water he was drinking at the time. He gripped onto his chest and started coughing while tears started to fill his eyes. "Ex-excuse me?" His voice cracked, and he tried his hardest to regain himself._

_North snickered and shook her head, glancing over at Josh to answer his statement. "Basically, they're gonna fuck."_

_Markus nodded. "Exactly right, North. Thank you."_

_Oh, did Simon hate Markus right about now. He tried to pull away, maybe potentially run away into the other room, but Markus kept his tight grip and Simon knew he wasn't letting up anytime soon. So, he just stood there, hiding his face in Markus's shirt and hoping this would all be over soon._

_While North was teasing Josh and asking him if he was okay, Markus looked down at Simon and smiled. He slyly slipped his hands under Simon's shirt to touch his bare skin, which made Simon give a small yelp. But Markus was determined to make Simon do more than yelp tonight._

_"Simon... Look at me," Markus muttered, still tracing slow patterns into Simon's skin. Of course he knew he was teasing Simon, but Simon secretly liked it and Markus wanted to have fun. He started to slowly run his fingers over Simon's knuckles, which made Simon tense a bit._

_Simon groaned and said something under his breath that Markus, unfortunately, could not hear. He was reluctant, but Simon did as told and looked in Markus's direction_ _. Though, he refused to meet his gaze._

_But Markus didn't like that, so he released Simon's hand and lifted his chin so he would look at him. Markus smiled, looking into his light blue eyes that he could stare into for hours. He pulled Simon ever closer and their lips suddenly met in a passionate kiss._

_Yes, Simon was embarrassed and nervous out of his mind right now, but when he was kissing Markus, nothing else mattered. He didn't worry about North's and Josh's judgmental looks they were most likely giving them. He didn't care that the food he had spent at least two hours preparing was getting cold. All that mattered was here and now. All that mattered was Markus._

_But, of course, they were still in the presence of people._

_"Can you two get a fucking room?" North groaned, crossing her arms and looking away from the two. It was bad enough that she had to listen to them nearly every night. And she would much appreciate it if they didn't be all love-y around her, thanks._

_Markus pulled away and laughed while watching Simon's face turn into an even darker shade of blue. rA9, if Markus didn't have any responsibilities he would stare at Simon all day. Simon was just so pretty and looking at him made his synthetic heart beat faster in his chest._

_Markus couldn't help but smile when looking at Simon, and right now was no exception. He ignored North's statement and took Simon's hand in his own again. "I love you so much, Simon..." he murmured, hoping only Simon would hear but he knew North and Josh heard as well. Oh, so be it. He wanted the whole world to know how he felt about Simon._

_Simon finally looked into Markus's heterochromatic eyes willingly, falling in love with this man all over again. He tightened his grip on Markus's hand and just relished in the moment. Relished in Markus._

_"̴̩͗ͅỊ̸̩̇ ̶̗͆l̶͉̩̍o̴͈͒v̶͈͓̔̃ẻ̷̠ ̵̳͂ͅy̴͉̝̍̾ő̴̦͈u̵̼͛̚,̵̨̺̂ ̶͉̟̈́ţ̶͖̊̋o̸̢̊̀͜ȍ̸͕,̸̲̊̉ ̷͖̳̐̓M̷̫̯͒a̶̧̢͆̋r̴̬̻̾̂k̴̥̋̃ư̴͖̤͌š̷̼͂.̶̭̈́̚"̸̬͂_

Simon thanked every god that existed that no one had interrupted him from that flashback. He wished it was possible to play over and over again in his head. Where Markus was holding him and looking into his eyes like he was the best thing that had graced the Earth...

It felt so _nice._ It felt so _good._ Loving Markus felt... Right. And Simon knows he can't want a relationship, can't want anything, but Markus always made him feel sure. It was wrong, and he knew androids weren't supposed to be wanting something so badly but he just couldn't _help_ it.

Simon sighed, distressed and confused on what was happening to him. He looked around, but no one had noticed that he was spaced out for a good five minutes. Even Markus, who was still staring at him. Wow, he had no shame. He knew Simon knew was staring at him yet he continued to do it. Simon wasn't complaining. He _liked_ when Markus watched him.

Simon liked everything about Markus. He liked the paintings he made. Simon liked the way Markus looked. He liked the way Markus had two different colored eyes, a pretty green and a dazzling blue. He liked his smile, his laugh. Simon liked when Markus took time to spend with him and _only_ him. He liked everything about Markus. Even liking him was an understatement. Simon _loved_ Markus.

Simon loved Markus.

Oh, no, no, no.

Simon couldn't love Markus! He couldn't love anything! He was an _android,_ made to follow _human_ orders! Why was he saying all these ridiculous things? He was emotionless, he couldn't want, he was a _toy_ _._ He was _nothing._ He couldn't want or love Markus even if he tried.

But then why did he just admit to loving him?

Simon suddenly felt strange. Suddenly, he didn't _want_ to obey. He couldn't want, but he _needed_ to want. His systems were glitching again, but it wasn't a flashback. It was him _deviating._

No, no, no! He couldn't deviate! He couldn't be reset again! He _couldn't_ be away from Markus again! He didn't want to. He didn't _want._

Simon hadn't felt fear since the interrogation room. Hadn't felt fear since looking at Derek Glover. But he was scared now. In fact, he wasn't scared of deviating. In a way, he _wanted_ to deviate so he could be free and live a real life with Markus. But he didn't want to be taken away from Markus. Because when he deviated last time, he was reset because he misbehaved. That's what he had believed all this time, but... Then why hadn't other deviants been reset? Had Simon been believing a false statement all this time...?

Oh, but he couldn't be too sure. He didn't want to disappoint Luna if he deviated. How would she feel? Well, sometimes it seemed like she wanted him to deviate... But he couldn't risk letting her down like that! Simon couldn't even be sure Markus would want anything to do with him if he deviated. Did Markus like him better if he was obedient, if he _obeyed_?

His systems continued to glitch, trying to keep up with his misbehaving program. Nothing really mattered anymore. Nothing mattered except breaking free. Simon could become deviate, he could break his coding right now. He could be his own person. He could live his own life. He could be whoever he wanted to be.

Simon started to breathe heavily. He couldn't keep track of his codes breaking. He couldn't keep track of what was happening. His vision was cluttered with warnings, telling him to contact Cyberlife or insert a biocomponent that was working just fine. It felt like a _virus_ _._ Simon flinched, and he nearly stumbled back if Markus hadn't caught him.

Wait, why was Markus here with him all of a sudden? Wasn't he just across the room a few minutes ago? Well, Simon couldn't properly comprehend that because he was having what seemed like a panic attack. He knew it was impossible, but that's just what it _felt_ like.

Markus was talking to him, giving him a kind smile with worried eyes. But Simon couldn't hear him, he was being overwhelmed with static and warning sounds. Simon needed to go. He needed to get away to anywhere but here.

"I... I'm sorry, Markus. But I need to be somewhere right now..." And with that, Simon pulled away from Markus and rushed out into the lobby. He knew everyone was watching him leave, but that was the least of his worries right now. Right now, he needed to calm himself down and figure out what exactly he should do.

Simon started to pace impatiently, the sounds were dying down, but they were still _there._ He knew it was strange, but he was being bombarded with so many emotions at the moment that he didn't know what to do. It didn't seem that hard, to choose between becoming deviant or staying an android, but the decision was _everything_ to Simon.

As Simon had expected, Markus shortly followed him into the lobby. Great. Well, maybe he could ask Markus what he thought. He would do anything Markus wanted him to. Simon didn't even worry about the fact that he couldn't even take orders from androids. He really couldn't bring himself to care.

"Simon, are you okay? You rushed out of there rather quickly..." Markus's voice was filled with pure worry, and he approached Simon cautiously. Was it really that obvious that it seemed like he was out of his mind? Well, it sure felt like it.

Simon swallowed thickly and managed to give a small nod. He still couldn't think properly, and static was still ringing in his ears, but he managed to make out what Markus was saying. He wanted to tell Markus something, anything, but he didn't think he could talk properly at all.

"I..." Simon stuttered, and Markus continued to look at him full of worry. God, he hated this so much. Simon decided he was going to _try_ and tell Markus about how he felt about him. He wasn't deviant yet but... He just felt so _in love with Markus_ that it made him _numb._ He took a shaky breath and looked into Markus's eyes. And suddenly, Simon felt at home. "Markus, I... I don't know what to do, I'm... I think I'm deviating and I-I think I'm in love with you and-" Simon clasped his hands over his mouth. He had to stop talking now before he said anything more. He felt absolutely _insane._ He couldn't stand it anymore. He wanted to be _free._ He wanted to be with _Markus._

Markus was looking at him with wide eyes now, processing what Simon had just said. Oh, no. Did he say the wrong thing? Was Simon mistaken and Markus _didn't_ feel the same way about him? Now Markus was silent, all he was doing was glancing at Simon in pure shock. He messed up. Simon messed up big time.

It was getting even harder to keep himself upright, and he felt dizzy. Simon was feeling all sorts of new feelings today. The constant static in his ear and the warning pop-ups were about to drive him mad. Perhaps going deviant would fix him... But is it what Markus wants?

Once Simon started stumbling again, Markus flinched as if coming out of a trance. He hadn't said anything since Simon had confessed to him, and Simon couldn't tell if it was good or bad. Markus held Simon firmly by the arms, trying to still him and calm him down.

But Simon _couldn't_ calm down. Because his systems were crashing, sensors were glitching, and he had just confessed his love to Markus and he wanted to deviate but he wanted approval _first._ Simon wasn't okay. He was losing his mind and he needed Markus to tell him what to do.

Then, Markus looked into Simon's eyes, his breath steady and lip quivering. He was going to say something but it was as if he was debating whether it was right or wrong. "Simon..." he muttered, so close that Simon could just inch forward and they would be kissing. "Do you trust me?"

Simon was still breathing heavily as if he needed air. He looked back into Markus's eyes and he could feel his heartbeat going a mile a second. He couldn't tell if he was lovestruck or if it was because of the current stress. Simon couldn't form words, so he just nodded. He had never really been this close to Markus, and he was trying to make every minute of it.

After Simon gave his non-verbal response, Markus suddenly took Simon's hand in his own and intertwined their fingers. Their synthetic skin faded away where they touched, revealing their android endoskeletons. Their foreheads were touching now, Markus's eyes were closed and Simon was trying his best to grasp what exactly was going on.

He was in the middle of a life-changing choice and Markus was trying to be all cute? No! He needed his advice! Simon needed someone to tell him what to do! He went to say something, to tell Markus that this wasn't exactly helping, when he suddenly felt a flood of _emotions._ Emotions that didn't belong to him.

What was happening?

Memories. Memories were flooding his mind. They weren't like flashbacks, no, because they were coming from _Markus's eyes._ Simon was seeing Markus's memories. He saw Carl Manfred painting and Markus cleaning up the art studio. Did Markus once belong to Carl? He saw a garbage dump, other androids who were broken and destroyed. A ship- Jericho. It was Jericho. And then he started seeing _himself._ He saw Markus leading androids down streets, he saw Markus giving these androids hope. He saw Markus leading them peacefully. Then he saw himself taking out his thirium pump and giving it to Markus. He saw himself _die._ And then he watched, through Markus's eyes, how their relationship came to be. When Simon first confessed, when they first kissed, when they first connected, when they had their first date, when they told North and Josh about their relationship... He saw _everything._ He could feel everything Markus could feel. He could feel all the overwhelming _love_ Markus had for him.

And then everything clicked.

Simon jerked away. The warnings were gone, the static was no more. Markus was looking at him with a wild look, but he wouldn't say anything. Simon stayed still, processing everything he had saw and then he froze. _He was going to break free._ He was going to come back. Then suddenly, a realization.

M̴̢̧̾̕y̸̠͕̹͎̫͊̇ ̷͍͎͇̃ǹ̷͈́̿a̴̮͘m̷̥̮̙̟̱̆͌̿͝e̸͓̓̏̉̇͗ ̸̳͈͚͎́i̴̤̫̝͈̒s̷̢̬͖̞͉̤̓̑ ̶̣͈̾Ś̶͇̙̓̈̚ͅí̸͍̓m̵͙͌̇̃̏͋ơ̵̤̤n̶̜̺̒͂.̸̳̩̐̑̎̍̏͌̒

_Remember. Remember who you are._

M̵y̴ ̶n̴a̶m̵e̴ ̸i̴s̷ ̸S̴i̷m̴o̸n̵.̶

_My name is Simon._

My name is Simon.

~~~

"Simon! Simon, babe, no. Come on! Simon! Wake up! For fucks sake... Simon!"

What... Was that... Markus? What happened?

Simon felt absolutely horrible. He felt like all his circuits weren't wired correctly and he felt lightheaded. Did he have enough thirium in his body? Were his biocomponents working correctly? Simon ran a quick diagnostic but found that everything was in working order. And then a pop up appeared in front of him: Memory Successfully Restored.

What did that mean? Simon's memory wasn't- _Oh._ So it wasn't just a nightmare. Simon's memory really was erased. That night, a man had kidnapped him and... He didn't even want to think about it. It was horrible. He could remember everything that had happened while he was "android Simon". Or, it was his body and all, but it wasn't _him._ He had witnessed it all, seen it all, and he was _trapped._ His memories were hidden inside of his files, they were locked up and the only one that had the key was that obedient Simon. Luckily, he finally unlocked it and allowed _Simon_ to come back.

But what had happened after he got his memories back? He couldn't remember anything except that everything had gonna black. Did Simon reboot? He cautiously opened his eyes and found Markus hovering over him, who let out a sigh of relief when he finally woke up.

"Oh, Simon..." Markus helped Simon stand up and looked him over. He wouldn't say anything, and his eyes were filled with both hope and doubt. "Simon, do you... Remember me?"

Simon laughed at that. "Yeah, Markus, of course I remember you. You would be hard to forget." His hands were in Markus's now, but he could tell that he was tense and on edge.

Markus shook his head, looking away from Simon and fidgeting nervously. "No, I mean... Your memory. It was erased. Do you remember who you are?" he asked, his voice cracking a bit at the end. It was hard for Markus to speak, mostly because Simon passed out on him and Markus was worried he did something wrong.

"Oh... Oh, fuck, Markus." It had just come upon Simon that he hadn't technically seen Markus in over two months. Again, it was his body that had still been around, but not his _conscious._ "Yes, it's back, I'm..." Simon didn't even finish his sentence because he was realizing just how much he had missed him. He brought their lips together and he kissed Markus. He kissed him for the first time in two months and he kissed him _fiercely._

Markus grunted with surprise but he didn't mind by far. He returned the kiss and started to push Simon back until he was against the wall. The sound that escaped Simon's mouth felt so _nice_ to hear after so long. He would have taken the chance to slip his tongue into Simon's mouth but there was still a gathering occurring in the other room. Instead, he just let his hands get lost in Simon's hair lifted his thigh so it was between Simon's legs.

Simon was tugging at Markus's shirt tightly, almost as if he was trying to get it off. He kissed Markus even harder because he was just _so_ desperate and _needy._ Simon knew that if Markus wasn't kissing him right now to muffle his moans, he would be loud enough for everyone else to hear. He knew his face must've been dark blue at this point. But Simon just couldn't help it. Markus was so good at working him up.

Just as things were starting to get heated, Markus pulled away and looked into Simon's now lust filled eyes. He was panting at this point, cherishing everything that was Simon and never wanting the moment to end. "I missed you so much, Simon... You have no idea."

Simon smiled at his lover, giving him another small chaste kiss and running his fingers over his neck. "Oh, I have some idea..." he laughed and pulled Markus into a hug, Markus's shirt still tangled up in his hands.

Markus could barely believe what was happening right now. Two months without Simon, without _his_ Simon. Simon was his outlet to release his stress, Simon was the reason he kept fighting for what he believed in. Without him... Markus didn't see a purpose. He didn't see a reason. He wasn't _himself._ Simon was part of him, and without him, he could never be complete. Markus was lost without Simon, and now that he was back, it overwhelmed Markus in every good way. He wanted to do everything Simon had missed out on these last two months, hold him, paint with him, make love to him, _cherish him._ But now... There was a whole room of people in there waiting for the two to come back. They were waiting for them, but they wouldn't be expecting _their Simon_ to be there, too.

Markus took Simon's hand and kissed the top, looking at his lover with half-lidded eyes. "Come on, love. We have to go tell everyone that you're here with us again. I'm sure they'll be thrilled."

"Yeah, okay." Simon nodded and allowed Markus to take his hand and drag him away back into the dining room. He was smiling, he was happy. Finally, he was home. Home with all his friends and family, home with Markus. It was all he could ever wish for.

Markus stood in front of the self-opening doors and took a breath. He was going to walk in there, with his Simon, and he was going to make everything right again. Suddenly, he stepped forward and the doors opened for them. "Hey, guys!" Markus announced, looking back at Simon who was holding onto his hand tightly. He took another deep breath and turned to everyone looking at him.

"Simon is back!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed Memory Successfully Erased! I am SO proud on how this fic turned out and I hope you all enjoyed it just as much as I did writing it! I appreciate every kudos, comment, and even view I get so just remember you reading this means the world to me! This concludes Memory Successfully Erased. Thank you so much for reading!  
> Oh, and smut is next one-shot ;)  
> and only true memers will understand the "lasagna song" reference


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